Carbon suboxide solution polymerization

Polymerization of carbon suboxide in heterogeneous systems, i.e. polymer precipitating from the reaction solution, by various initiators was examined qualitatively by Hegar (9). It was found that the best catalysts in cyclohexane solution (at 0°C., then room temperature) were triethylamine and pyridine. Boron trifluoride was somewhat less effective, while sulfuric acid was inefficient and slow. With aluminum chloride the catalyst particles were rapidly coated with polymer, and no significant amount of polymer could be obtained. 

Solution Polymerization. Dimethyl formamide, DMF, is a good solvent for poly(carbon suboxide) with DP lower than six and hence can serve as an effective medium for the kinetic studies of solution polymerization. The use of a polymer solvent such as... 

Carbon suboxide s susceptibility to radical polymerization was also examined by an attempted copolymerization of equimolar quantities of carbon suboxide and styrene initiated by azobisisobutyronitrile at 60°C in toluene solution. The infrared spectrum of the polymeric product was identical with that of a styrene homopolymer control, and no carbonyl absorption was detected. 

Solution Polymerization (21). Solution polymerization of carbon suboxide in DMF was followed by monitoring the absorbance of the system at 420, 500 and 600 nm. At all three wavelengths a plot of the square root of the absorbance against time was linear indicating a reaction order of 1/2 with respect to polymer (Figure 2). The reaction order with respect to monomer... 

---