Carboxyl-substituted polymers from carbon dioxide

For example, polymers having hydroxyl end groups can be prepared by reaction of polymer lithium with epoxides, aldehydes, and ketones III-113). Carboxylated polymers result when living polymers are treated with carbon dioxide (///) or anhydrides (114). When sulfur (115, 116), cyclic sulfides (117), or disulfides (118) are added to lithium macromolecules, thiol-substituted polymers are produced. Chlorine-terminus polymers have reportedly been prepared from polymer lithium and chlorine (1/9). Although lithium polymers react with primary and secondary amines to produce unsubstituted polymers (120), tertiary amines can be introduced by use of p-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde (121). 

Elimination of carbon dioxide from carboxyl, water from alcoholic hydroxyl, carboxylic acid from alkanoate, and hydrogen chloride from chlorine side groups or chain ends are typical thermal decomposition reactions in the temperature range 250-350°C. Hydrogen chloride is an important product of poly(vinyl chloride) because every second carbon atom of the hydrocarbon polymer chain is chlorine substituted. But hydroxyl, alkanoate and free carboxylic acid groups normally occur only at the ends of the macromolecular chains in customary plastics, thus the contribution of their elimination to the volatile pyrolysis products is negligible. 

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