Addition isotactic

In addition to existing as helices in crystals, there is evidence that certain vinyl polymers also show some degree of regular alternation between trans and gauche conformations in solution. In solution, the chain is free from the sort of environmental constraints that operate in a crystal, so the length of the helical sequence in a dissolved isotactic vinyl polymer may be relatively short. 

The special stability of the helix with three repeat units per turn for isotactic vinyl polymers in which the substituent is not too large was discussed in connection with Fig. 1.10a. Rodriguez has suggested a simple paper model which is also helpful in illustrating this structure. The following steps summarize this method additional details are available in this readily accessible reference. 

What is significant about these reactions is that only two possibilities exist addition with the same configuration (D -> DD or L LL) or addition with th< opposite configuration (D DL or L LD). We shall designate these isotactic (subscript i) or syndiotactic (subscript s) additions, respectively, and shal define the rate constants for the two steps kj and k. Therefore the rates o isotactic and syndiotactic propagation become... 

If we define p and Pj. as the probability of addition occurring in the meso and racemic modes, respectively, then p Pr since there are only two possibilities. The probability p is the analog of Pjj for copolymers hence, by analogy with Eq. (7.30), this equals the fraction of isotactic dyads among all dyads. In terms of the kinetic approach of the last section, p is equal to the rate of an iso addition divided by the combined rates of iso and syndio additions ... 

An isotactic triad [XV] is generated by two successive meso additions XXX... 

A mechanism in which the stereochemistry of the growing chain does exert an influence on the addition might exist, but at least two repeat units in the chain are required to define any such stereochemistry. Therefore this possibility is equivalent to the penultimate mechanism in copolymers. In this case the addition would be described in terms of conditional probabilities, just as Eq. (7.49) does for copolymers. Thus the probability of an isotactic triad controlled by the stereochemistry of the growing chain would be represented by the reaction... 

Fig. 7.13, this shifts the vacancy—represented by the square-in the coordination sphere of the titanium to a different site. Syndiotactic regulation occurs if the next addition takes place via this newly created vacancy. In this case the monomer and the growing chain occupy alternating coordination sites in successive steps. For the more common isotactic growth the polymer chain must migrate back to its original position. 

Stereoregular Polymerization. Chemists at GAF Corporation were first to suggest that stereoregularity or the lack thereof is responsible for both nontacky and crystalline or tacky and amorphous polymers generated from IBVE with BF2 0(C2H )2, depending on the reaction conditions (22,23). In addition, it was shown that the crystalline polymer is actually isotactic (24). Subsequentiy, the reaction conditions necessary to form such polymers have not only been demonstrated, but the stereoregular polymerization has been extended to other monomers, such as methyl vinyl ether (25,26). 

Homopolymerization of butadiene can proceed via 1,2- or 1,4-additions. The 1,4-addition produces the geometrically distinguishable trans or cis stmctures with internal double bonds on the polymer chains, 1,2-Addition, on the other hand, yields either atactic, isotactic, or syndiotactic polymer stmctures with pendent vinyl groups (Eig. 2). Commercial production of these polymers started in 1960 in the United States. Eirestone and Goodyear account for more than 60% of the current production capacity (see Elastomers, synthetic-polybutadiene). 

Polypropylene. There is an added dimension to the catalytic polymerization of propylene, since in addition to the requirement that the catalyst be sufficiently active to allow minute amounts of catalyst to yield large quantities of polymer, it must also give predominantly polypropylene with high tacticity that is, a highly ordered molecular stmcture with high crystallinity. The three stmctures for polypropylene are the isotactic, syndiotactic, and atactic forms (90) (see Olefin polya rs, polypropylene). 

For the 1,2- and 3,4-addition, a chiral carbon (marked by an asterisk) is formed which has an R or 3 configuration, but there is no net optical activity, because equal amounts of the R and S configurations are formed. The R and S configurations along the polymer chains lead to diastereomeric isomers called isotactic, syndiotactic, and atactic. In isotactic polyisoprene all monomer units have the same configuration as illustrated for isotactic... 

Aliphatic Polyolefins other than Polyethylene, and Diene Rubbers 11.1.4 Additives for isotactic polypropylene... 

Polymerization of butadiene and of isoprene confronts us with still another configurational problem. The addition may take place in either the 1,2 or 1,4 positions (with an additional possibility of 3,4 addition in the case of isoprene), and, moreover, in the 1,4 addition the new unit may acquire a cis or a trans configuration. It is known that by proper choice of a catalyst and by judicious adjustment of polymerization conditions processes can be developed which yield polymers of high stereospecificity, namely all 1,4 cis, all 1,4 trans, all 1,2 isotactic, or all 1,2 syndiotactic polymers. 

In propylene polymerization by TiCl2 the addition of aluminumorganic compounds results in a fall of the polymerization rale and a concurrent increase of the isotactic fraction content in the polymer (158). A similar effect occurred when triphenylphosphine was added to TiCl2. The content of the isotactic fraction decreased in the series AlEt3 > AlEt2Cl > AlEtCl2. The catalytic activity also decreases in the same row (159). 

Polymerization of t-butyl methacrylate initiated by lithium compounds in toluene yields 100% isotactic polymers 64,65), and significantly, of a nearly uniform molecular-weight, while the isotactic polymethyl methacrylate formed under these conditions has a bimodal distribution. Significantly, the propagation of the lithium pairs of the t-Bu ester carbanion, is faster in toluene than in THF. In hydrocarbon solvents the monomers seem to interact strongly with the Li+ cations in the transition state of the addition, while the conventional direct monomer interaction with carbanions, that requires partial dissociation of ion-pair in the transition state of propagation, governs the addition in ethereal solvents. 

Structurally, plastomers straddle the property range between elastomers and plastics. Plastomers inherently contain some level of crystallinity due to the predominant monomer in a crystalline sequence within the polymer chains. The most common type of this residual crystallinity is ethylene (for ethylene-predominant plastomers or E-plastomers) or isotactic propylene in meso (or m) sequences (for propylene-predominant plastomers or P-plastomers). Uninterrupted sequences of these monomers crystallize into periodic strucmres, which form crystalline lamellae. Plastomers contain in addition at least one monomer, which interrupts this sequencing of crystalline mers. This may be a monomer too large to fit into the crystal lattice. An example is the incorporation of 1-octene into a polyethylene chain. The residual hexyl side chain provides a site for the dislocation of the periodic structure required for crystals to be formed. Another example would be the incorporation of a stereo error in the insertion of propylene. Thus, a propylene insertion with an r dyad leads similarly to a dislocation in the periodic structure required for the formation of an iPP crystal. In uniformly back-mixed polymerization processes, with a single discrete polymerization catalyst, the incorporation of these intermptions is statistical and controlled by the kinetics of the polymerization process. These statistics are known as reactivity ratios. 

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data have made it possible to deduce the localisation of organic additives (pigments) in the bulk of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) [344]. This work has confirmed that the additives are located in the amorphous phase, in spite of their crucial influence on the formation of the crystalline phase of iPP. SAXS has also been used to study the 3D structure of different carbon-black aggregates, and silica-filled SBR rubber compounds [345]. 

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