Bifunctional anionic initiator

Bandermann, R, Speikamp, H.D., Weigel, L., 1985. Bifunctional anionic initiators a critical study and overview. Makromol. Chem. 186 (10), 2017-2024. 

The two principal anionic initiation processes are (a) nucleophilic attack on the monomer which produces one-ended (raonofunctional) anions by addition of the initiator across the double bond of the monomer [see Eq. (8.5)] and (b) electron transfer by alkali metals that leads to two-ended (bifunctional) anions (see later). 

On each of the curves, the points at lowest X represent swelling in cyclohexane, the next in tetrahydrofuran and the last in benzene. In all cases, the samples were swollen in the pure solvent. The curves are reproduced from Figure 13 of Reference 19. The networks were made from anionically polymerized polyr-styrene using a bifunctional initiator crosslinked subsequently by divinyl benzene. The curves correspond to different ratios of divinyl benzene (DVB) per polystyrene living end (LE),... 

The third intra-pair reaction to be discussed involves bond formation between radical anion and cation without intervening transfer both singlet and triplet radical ion pairs can couple. For example, the bifunctional radical cation 24 generates two chloranil adducts, most likely via zwitterions (e.g., 74 and 75 ), initiated by forming a C O bond. The CIDNP results indicate that 74 and 75 are formed from a singlet radical ion pair. Adduct 75 is a minor product, as the major spin density of 24 + is located in the allyl function which, therefore, is expected to be the principal site of coupling. 

Divalent counterions Kinetic measurements using mono- and bifunctional initiators and Ba++ as the counterion in THF were reported by Mathis and Francois (37 ), who applied adiabatic calorimetry. At -7o°C no termination is found and conversion follows first order with respect to monomer concentration. The rate constants do not depend on the concentration of living ends, indicating the absence of free anions. The rate constants are smaller by a factor of 2o as compared with those measured with monovalent counterions. However, they are smaller by a factor of 3 only, compared with those calculated for chains which are intramolecular ly associated (Na+, counterion). The activation energy for PMMA Ba in THF is equal to that for monovalent counterions, but the frequency exponent is smaller by about 1.5 units, reflecting the fact that the transition state for the dianionic ion pair has higher steric requirements. 

The first method, which is used in many instances, proceeds by anionic block copolymerization. In a first step styrene is anionically polymerized using an efficient bifunctional initiator. The polymer obtained has a well-defined molecular weight, it exhibits a rather narrow molecular weight distribution and it has carbanionic living sites at both ends of its linear chains7. ... 

The value of Fn was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy and found to be close to unity. By essentially the same method, bifunctional and trifunctional cyanoacrylate functional PIBs have also been prepared. Anionic polymerization of CA-PIB with N,N-dimethyl-p-toluidine as initiator in solution resulted in high MW product (Mn 35,000 gmol ) [107]. Anionic copolymerization of difunctional and trifunctional PIB yielded clear flexible films with low sol fraction. The... 

The synthesis, starting from a bifunctional initiator followed by quenching the double-headed living ends, gives homotelechelic polymers (method B). Carboxylate-capped telechelic poly(isobutyl vinyl ether) has been obtained in this way [82], where the adduct of a bifunctional vinyl ether with trifluoroacetic acid is the initiator, and the quencher is the malonate anion. For method C, a bifunctional trimethylsilyl enol ether, CH2=C[OSi(CH3)3]C6H4OCH2CH20C6H4[(CH3)3SiO]C=CH2, is a useful terminator (chain coupler) for vinyl ethers [142,147] and a-methyl-styrene [159] (see also Section VI.B.4). 

Bifunctional Initiation. The bifunctional initiators like alkali metal complexes of polycyclic aromatic compounds can be used to produce ABA triblock copolymers even when the A anion is not sufficiently basic to initiate polymerization of B monomers. In these cases polymerization would be started with monomer B to produce a polymeric dianion which could initiate polymerization of the A monomer which is added later. These initiators can be prepared only in aliphatic ethers, however. This precludes their use for the synthesis of useful styrene-diene ABA copolymers because polydienes made anionically in such solvents have low 1,4 contents and are not good rubbers. 

Coupling Reactions. In this technique, a living AB block copolymer is made by monofunctional initiation and is then terminated with a bifunctional coupling agent likeadihaloalkane. ABA copolymers can be madeby joining AB polymeric anions ... 

ABA-type block copolymers B-12 with a hard PMMA as the outer segment (A) and a soft poly(nBA) as the inner segment (B) are expected as all-acrylic thermoplastic elastomers. Examples of B-12 have been prepared with copper and nickel catalysts via bifunctional initiation.359-364 Unfortunately, the copolymers by R—Br/Ni-2 via the macroinitiator method were reported to be inferior as thermoplastic elastomers to those by living anionic polymerizations. A possible reason is the presence of short PMMA seg-... 

Initiation by electron transfer is based on the ability of the alkali metals to supply electrons to the double bonds. This yields an anion radical and a positively charged, alkali-metal counterion. Initiation may be effected (a) by direct attack of the monomer on the alkali metal, or (b) by attack on the metal through an intermediate compound such as naphthalene. Both result in bifunctional initiation, that is, formation of species with two carbanionic ends. 

Polymer Preparation. Two bifunctional (telechelic) polymers were used in this study. Carboxy-telechelic polybutadiene (PB) is commercially available from B. F. Goodrich (Hycar CTB 2000X156) with molecular characteristics of Mn=4,600, Mw/Mn= 1.8, functionality 2.00 and cis/trans/vinyl ratio of 20/65/15. Carboxy-telechelic polyisoprene (PIP) was prepared by anionic polymerization in THF at -78°C with a-methylstyrene tetramer as a difunctional initiator. The living macrodianions were deactivated by anhydrous carbon dioxide. Five polymers werejjrepared with Mn=6,000 10,000, 24,000, 30,000 and 37,000 having Mw/Mn=sl.l5 a microstructure ratio of 3, 4/1, 2 of 65/35, respectively, and a functionality >1.95. 

Another variant for the synthesis of hydroxy telechelic polybutadiene is based on the anionic living polymerisation of butadiene, using sodium naphthalene as catalyst [16]. Sodium naphthalene generates, by reaction with butadiene, a radical anion (9.8). If two of these radicals are coupled together, they generate a dianion (9.9), which is an ideal bifunctional initiator for the synthesis of perfectly bifunctional polybutadiene by anionic polymerisation. 

The partial destruction by impurities of bifunctional initiator or dianionic oligomers is equally probable in other anionic polymerizations, e.g. in the polymerization of styrene. Even in the absence of intra-molecular association, such a destruction should be revealed by a deviation of the molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymer from the Poisson distribution. Significantly, in spite of the use of bifunctional initiators, disturb-... 

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