Anionic polymerization species

IR spectra of CO adsorbed on polycrystalline MgO were first reported in the 1970s (89-91). Pioneering studies were performed with samples activated at moderate temperatures and still covered by a relatively high density of OH groups (89,90). Under these conditions, CO is adsorbed as a carbonatelike species only if O2 is present. Investigations of fully dehydrated samples (85-88, 91, 92) in the absence of O2 showed that CO chemisorption leads to the formation of peculiar, highly colored, anionic polymeric species. 

Addition polymerization through anionic active species. This is discussed in the next section. 

In aqueous solution, all the sodium peroxoborates dissociate for the most part into boric acid, or its anion, and hydrogen peroxide. Peroxoborate species are also present in these solutions, depending on the pH and the concentration for the species type. The nature of these species has been extensively examined by classical physicochemical methods (13), by nmr, and by Raman spectroscopy (14—17). Both monomeric and polymeric species are usually present. There is some evidence (18) suggesting that these peroxoborates are more reactive than hydrogen peroxide alone under similar conditions. 

Hydroxides. The hydrolysis of uranium has been recendy reviewed (154,165,166), yet as noted in these compilations, studies are ongoing to continue identifying all of the numerous solution species and soHd phases. The very hard uranium(IV) ion hydrolyzes even in fairly strong acid (- 0.1 Af) and the hydrolysis is compHcated by the precipitation of insoluble hydroxides or oxides. There is reasonably good experimental evidence for the formation of the initial hydrolysis product, U(OH) " however, there is no direct evidence for other hydrolysis products such as U(OH) " 2> U(OH)" 2> U(OH)4 (or UO2 2H20). There are substantial amounts of data, particulady from solubiUty experiments, which are consistent with the neutral species U(OH)4 (154,167). It is unknown whether this species is monomeric or polymeric. A new study under reducing conditions in NaCl solution confirms its importance and reports that it is monomeric (168). 8olubihty studies indicate that the anionic species U(OH) , if it exists, is only of minor importance (169). There is limited evidence for polymeric species such as Ug(OH) " 25 (1 4). 

Polyborates and pH Behavior. Whereas bode acid is essentiaHy monomeric ia dilute aqueous solutions, polymeric species may form at concentrations above 0.1 M. The conjugate base of bode acid in aqueous systems is the tetrahydroxyborate [15390-83-7] anion sometimes caHed the metaborate anion, B(OH) 4. This species is also the principal anion in solutions of alkaH metal (1 1) borates such as sodium metaborate,... 

Richards et at. carried out extensive studies on the use of mercury,2 6 277 lead278 279 and silver compounds to terminate anionic polymerization and form polymeric organometallic species which can be used to initiate polymerization. 

Some tailor-made homopolymers can serve as starting points for chemical modifications to yield new species. Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(glyceryl methacrylate) 16), already mentioned, are obtained upon hydrolysis of the OH-protecting groups that allow the anionic polymerization to proceed. Another example is the acid hydrolysis of poly(t-butyl methacrylate), a reaction which proceeds easily to completion, yielding poly(methacrylic acid) of known degree of polymerization and narrow molecular weight distribution 44 45). 

Interest in anionic polymerizations arises in part from the reactivity of the living carbanionic sites4 7) Access can be provided to polymers with a functional chain end. Such species are difficult to obtain by other methods. Polycondensations yield ro-functional polymers but they provide neither accurate molecular weight control nor low polydispersity. Recently Kennedy51) developed the inifer technique which is based upon selective transfer to fit vinylic polymers obtained cationically with functions at chain end. Also some cationic ring-opening polymerizations52) without spontaneous termination can yield re-functional polymers upon induced deactivation. Anionic polymerization remains however the most versatile and widely used method to synthesize tailor made re-functional macromolecules. 

The purpose of this review is to show how anionic polymerization techniques have successfully contributed to the synthesis of a great variety of tailor-made polymer species Homopolymers of controlled molecular weight, co-functional polymers including macromonomers, cyclic macromolecules, star-shaped polymers and model networks, block copolymers and graft copolymers. 

However, the mechanisms by which the initiation and propagation reactions occur are far more complex. Dimeric association of polystyryllithium is reported by Morton, al. ( ) and it is generally accepted that the reactions are first order with respect to monomer concentration. Unfortunately, the existence of associated complexes of initiator and polystyryllithium as well as possible cross association between the two species have negated the determination of the exact polymerization mechanisms (, 10, 11, 12, 13). It is this high degree of complexity which necessitates the use of empirical rate equations. One such empirical rate expression for the auto-catalytic initiation reaction for the anionic polymerization of styrene in benzene solvent as reported by Tanlak (14) is given by ... 

The molar rate of change of polymeric species of degree of polymerization n in a well-mixed, continuous flow tank reactor is related to the kinetic rate of propagation of unassociated polystyryl anions plus their withdrawal rate in the reactor s effluent. Feed streams are void of polymeric substances, but contain monomer initiator and solvent. 

Anionic polymerization is a powerful method for the synthesis of polymers with a well defined structure [222]. By careful exclusion of oxygen, water and other impurities, Szwarc and coworkers were able to demonstrate the living nature of anionic polymerization [223,224]. This discovery has found a wide range of applications in the synthesis of model macromolecules over the last 40 years [225-227]. Anionic polymerization is known to be limited to monomers with electron-withdrawing substituents, such as nitrile, carboxyl, phenyl, vinyl etc. These substituents facilitate the attack of anionic species by decreasing the electron density at the double bond and stabilizing the propagating anionic chains by resonance. 

Okamoto and Mita studied the anionic polymerization of 1,4-DIPB in THF [261]. They found the reactivity of the pendant vinyl groups by about three to four orders of magnitude lower than that of the vinyl groups of the monomers. Popov et al. compared the reactivities of 1,4-DVB and 1,4-DIPB in the reaction with polystyryl dianions in THF/benzene mixtures [262]. While addition of 1,4-DVB to the dianion solution caused an immediate macrogelation, no gel formation was observed on the addition of 1,4-DIPB. Anionic polymerization of 1,3-DIPB was also studied by several research groups [263-265]. They reported formation of low molar mass species. 

In anionic polymerization, the initiators are either Bronsted or Lewis acids. In Bronsted acid, H+ is the effective catalyst while in Lewis, co-catalyst is involved to give catalytically active species, e.g. 

Alkene polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and polyacrylonitrile are easily formed via anionic polymerization because the intermediate anions are resonance stabilized by the additional functional group, the ester or the nitrile. The process is initiated by a suitable anionic species, a nucleophile that can add to the monomer through conjugate addition in Michael fashion. The intermediate resonance-stabilized addition anion can then act as a nucleophile in further conjugate addition processes, eventually giving a polymer. The process will terminate by proton abstraction, probably from solvent. 

The details of the anionic polymerization of nylon 6 have been extensively reviewed (1-8) and will only be discussed briefly as they affect the star-polymerization of nylon 6. Nylon 6 is polymerized anionically in a two-step process (Figure 1). The first step, creation of the activated species 3, is the slow step. The e-caprolactam monomer reacts in the presence of a strong base (such as sodium hydride) to form the caprolactam anion 2. This anion reacts with more caprolactam monomer to form 3. The reaction of this activated species with lactam anions occurs rapidly to form the nylon 6 polymer 4. 

Note For example, trimethylsilylation is a typical transformation used to protect reactive functional groups such as hydroxy or amino groups from their reaction with growing anionic species in anionic polymerization. 

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