Cationic polymerization species

Chain-growth polymerization through cationic active species. This is taken up in Sec. 6.11. 

In cationic polymerization the active species is the ion which is formed by the addition of a proton from the initiator system to a monomer. For vinyl monomers the type of substituents which promote this type of polymerization are those which are electron supplying, like alkyl, 1,1-dialkyl, aryl, and alkoxy. Isobutylene and a-methyl styrene are examples of monomers which have been polymerized via cationic intermediates. 

Friedel-Crafts (Lewis) acids have been shown to be much more effective in the initiation of cationic polymerization when in the presence of a cocatalyst such as water, alkyl haUdes, and protic acids. Virtually all feedstocks used in the synthesis of hydrocarbon resins contain at least traces of water, which serves as a cocatalyst. The accepted mechanism for the activation of boron trifluoride in the presence of water is shown in equation 1 (10). Other Lewis acids are activated by similar mechanisms. In a more general sense, water may be replaced by any appropriate electron-donating species (eg, ether, alcohol, alkyl haUde) to generate a cationic intermediate and a Lewis acid complex counterion. 

For continuing polymerization to occur, the ion pair must display reasonable stabiUty. Strongly nucleophilic anions, such as C/ , are not suitable, because the ion pair is unstable with respect to THE and the alkyl haUde. A counterion of relatively low nucleophilicity is required to achieve a controlled and continuing polymerization. Examples of anions of suitably low nucleophilicity are complex ions such as SbE , AsF , PF , SbCf, BE 4, or other anions that can reversibly coUapse to a covalent ester species CF SO, FSO, and CIO . In order to achieve reproducible and predictable results in the cationic polymerization of THE, it is necessary to use pure, dry reagents and dry conditions. High vacuum techniques are required for theoretical studies. Careful work in an inert atmosphere, such as dry nitrogen, is satisfactory for many purposes, including commercial synthesis. 

A variety of monomei and polymer stmctures can polymerize (cure) when exposed to an acid or cation intermediate species. 

Provided that the uncomplexed species is suceptible to destruction, while the complex is protected, the lifetime of living polymer increases at higher monomer concentrations. Cationic polymerization of propylene induced by AlBr3. HBr studied by Fontana and Kidder22) exemplifies perhaps such a system. 

Of special meaning for ionic reactions like cationic polymerization is the consideration of the interaction between reactants and solvent. This was attained by use of the extended solvent continuum model introduced by Huron and Claverie 69,70). Specific interactions between molecule and solvent cannot be taken into account by this model. For the above reason, the solvent is not considered to be an interacting partner, rather as a factor influencing the reacting species (see part 2.3.4). 

The possibility of ion formation during the interaction between two Lewis acid molecules as shown in the scheme above is important for the initiation of cationic polymerizations in the absence of cation forming additives (e.g. HX or RX)1). When aluminum-halides A1X3 (X = Cl, Br) are concerned, the ion formation in solution could be experimentally proven163). The formation of ionic species in pure SbCl5/ SbFj system has already been pointed out. 

In both anionic and cationic polymerization it is possible to create living polymers . In this process, we starve the reacting species of monomer. Once the monomer is exhausted, the terminal groups of the chains are still activated. If we add more monomer to the reaction vessel, chain groivth will restart. This technique provides us with a uniquely controllable system in which we can add different monomers to living chains to create block copolymers. 

The kinetic expressions which describe the rate and degree of polymerization in cationic polymerizations are derived in a manner analogous to that for radical polymerization. The results are similar with the main difference being that the direct and inverse dependencies of the rate and degree of polymerization, respectively, on the initiator concentration or initiation rate are both first-order, not half-order as in radical polymerization. The difference arises from cationic termination being mono-molecular in the propagating species instead of bimolecular as in radical polymerization. 

Cationic diorganoaluminum species with non-coordinating anions are activators in the high-temperature polymerization of olefins, while mixtures of AlEt3/B(C6F5)3 also show moderate activity for the polymerization of ethylene. Neutral magnesium, calcium, and zinc compounds, in turn, have been used as catalysts for the polymerization of... 

Surprisingly, the polymerization rate has practically a zeroth-order dependence on the concentration of the monomer, which is a rare example for a group 4 metal-based catalyst. Although the reason for the zeroth-order dependence is unclear at the current time, one possible explanation is that, under the conditions examined, the cationic complex virtually exists as a (higher a-olefm)-coordinated form, presumably due to the highly electrophilic and sterically open nature of the cationic active species. 

Such a behavior is expected in cationic polymerization where, because carbocations are not reacting among themselves, only one propagating species is involved in the termination reaction. 

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