Chain-end unsaturation

Since it is well known that chloroalkenes are often much less stable than the corresponding alkanes, olefinic unsaturation may be an important source of thermal instability in PVC. Chain-end unsaturation could arise by disproportionation during bimolecular reaction of polymer radicals Eq. (2). 

Decomposition of (3), which might be formed from (1) or (2), can result in the formation of styrene or may lead to chain end unsaturation and neighboring ring protonation. Hydride abstraction by (3) would result in a saturated chain end. The lack of significant styrene production from any of the PS-catalyst samples suggests that P-scission of (3) to form styrene is not a dominant decomposition pathway at low temperatures. Chain end unsaturation derived from (3) may result in formation of indenes, which were detected in substantial amounts only when HZSM-5 catalyst was present. The restricted volume... 

Polybutenes enjoy extensive uses as adhesives, caulks, sealants, and glazing compounds. They are also used as plasticizers in rubber formulations with butyl, SBR, and natural rubber. In linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends, they induce cling to stretch-wrap films. Polybutenes when modified at their chain-end unsaturations with polar fimctionality are widely employed in lubricants as dispersants. Blends of polybutene with polyolefins produce semisolid gels that can be used as potting and electrical-cable filling materials. 

When propylene is polymerized using homogeneous metallocene/methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalysts, several chain transfer mechanisms occur to release free polymer chains. Their relative frequencies are dependent on the polymerization conditions and the catalyst structure. Three chain transfer mechanisms are identified that form chain-end unsaturated polypropylene. These are (1) P-hydride transfer to metal after a primary (1,2-) propylene insertion, (2) f)-hydride transfer to monomer after a primary propylene insertion, and (3) f)-hydride transfer after a secondary (2,1-) propylene insertion. The formations of these chain ends and associated polymer head groups (chain starts) are shown in Scheme 10.1. Mechanism (2) is commonly referred to as chain transfer to monomer. 

A cross-linked product with unsaturation at the chain ends does, indeed, have a higher modulus. This could be of commercial importance and indicates that industrial products might be formed by a nonequilibrium process precisely for this sort of reason. 

Polypropylene polymerized with triethyl aluminum and titanium trichloride has been found to contain various kinds of chain ends. Both terminal vinylidene unsaturation and aluminum-bound chain ends have been identified. Propose two termination reactions which can account for these observations. Do the termination reactions allow any discrimination between the monometallic and bimetallic propagation mechanisms ... 

End Groups and Branching. Both saturated and unsaturated end groups can be formed during polymerization by chain transfer to monomer or polymer and by disproportionation. Some of the possible chain end groups are... 

One chain-end is typically unsaturated due to chain transfer and termination mechanisms. Mol wts can range from several hundred to several million. There is no long-chain branching unless special synthesis methods ate employed. The mol wt distribution is commonly the most probable,... 

Polybutenes. Copolymerization of mixed isobutylene and 1-butene containing streams with a Lewis acid catalyst system yields low mol wt (several hundred to a few thousand) copolymers that are clear, colorless, viscous Hquids. The chain-ends are unsaturated, and they are often chemically modified through this functionaUty (7,73). 

To overcome brittleness these materials are sometimes blended with rubbery materials and with polyurethanes. These polymers may contain unsaturated groups, particularly at the chain ends, so that graft structures may be produced rather than simple mixtures. 

Chain transfer reactions involving the monomer could also result in unsaturation of the chain ends according to the following two reactions [Eqs. (3) and (4)]. 

Studies on model compounds also suggest that unsaturated chain-end groups should not have an important influence on the thermal stability of PVC [21]. In conclu-... 

The use of an unsaturated anionic initiator—such as potassium p-vinyl benzoxide—is possible for the ring opening polymerization of oxirane [43]. Although initiation is generally heterogenous, the polymers exhibit the molecular weight expected and a low polydispersity. In this case, the styrene type unsaturation at chain end cannot get involved in the process, as the propagating sites are oxanions. 

Stames el al.I7 have provided support for the above mechanism (Scheme 6.29) by determining the unsaturated chain ends (112) in low conversion PVAc by l3C NMR. They were able to distinguish (112) from chain ends that might have been formed if transfer involved abstraction of a vinylic hydrogen. The number of unsaturated chain ends (112) was found to equate with the number of -CH OAc ends suggesting that most chains arc formed by transfer to monomer. Stames et a . 13 also found an isotope effect k kD of 2.0 for the abstraction reaction with CTTpCHOiCCD as monomer. This result is consistent with the mechanism shown in Scheme 6.28 but is contrary to an earlier finding.174... 

Values of CP measured in the presence of added PMMA (for example) will depend on how the PMMA was prepared and its molecular weight (i.e. on the concentration of unsaturated ends). PMMA formed by radical polymerization in the presence of a good H-donor transfer agent (or by anionic polymerization) would have only saturated chain ends. These PMMA chains should have a different transfer constant to those formed by normal radical polymerization where termination occurs by a mixture of combination and disproportionation. This could account for some of the variation in the values of CP for this polymer... 

Studies with model compounds show that secondary benzoate esters eliminate benzoic acid to form unsaturated chain ends as shown in Scheme 8.2.15... 

Unstable structures are known to arise by chain termination. Mechanisms for radical-radical termination in MMA polymerization have been discussed in Sections 5.2.2.1.2 and 5.2.2.2.2 and these are summarized in Scheme 8.5. It is established that both disproportionation and combination occur to substantial extents. The head-to-head linkages 1 and the unsaturated chain ends 2 both constitute weak links in PMMA.26 2 "33 The presence of these groups account for... 

There are other sources of unsaturated chain ends in PMMA formed by radical polymerization ... 

However, the presence of unsaturated chain ends can have other consequences for polymer properties ... 

Addition of TEMPO post-polymerization to a methacrylate polymerization provides an unsaturated chain end (Scheme 9.52)i07 sw presumably by disproportionation of the PMMA propagating radical with the nitroxide. For polymers based on monosubstituted monomers (PS,1 0" PBA59,[Pg.534]

Recently it has been shown that anionic functionalization techniques can be applied to the synthesis of macromonomers — macromolecular monomers — i.e. linear polymers fitted at chain end with a polymerizable unsaturation, most commonly styrene or methacrylic ester 69 71). These species in turn provide easy access to graft copolymers upon radical copolymerization with vinylic or acrylic monomers. 

One such reported example is the synthesis of polypropylene-6-polymethyl-methacrylate (PP-6-PMMA) copolymers utilizing metallocene catalysis and the borane chemistry. In the initial step, PP with chain-end olefinic unsaturations was prepared using metallocene catalysts such as Et(Ind)2ZrCl2/MAO. The unsaturation sites were then hydroborated by 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) to produce borane-terminated PP (43) (Fig. 30), which was selectively oxidized and interconverted to a... 

Figure 30 The hydroboration strategy of chain end olefinic unsaturation in polypropylene with 9-BBN for further conversion into block copolymers via polymer radicals. (Adapted from refs. 66 and 67.)...

Evidence for a competing disproportionation mechanism (see Figure 1) for the termination of chain ends is provided by the combined presence of the peaks from 4 and 5 in the MALDI-TOF mass spectrum of this PMMA polymer (see Figure 6) [10]. Confirmation of the presence of the unsaturated and saturated chain ends, arising from disproportionation, was obtained by means of and 13C NMR spectroscopy, respectively [11]. 

Degree of vinyl unsaturation at one of the two polymer chain ends, determined... 

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