Copolymerization with Complex Participation

Another model used to describe deviations from the terminal model involves the participation of a comonomer complex (Sec. 6-3b-3) [Cais et al., 1979 Coote and Davis, 2002 Coote et al., 1998 Seiner and Litt, 1971]. The comonomer complex competes with each of the individual monomers in propagation. The monomer complex participation model involves eight 

The copolymer composition and propagation rate constant are given by 

Concentrations and mole fractions with superscript ° refer to uncomplexed monomer. Concentrations and mole fractions without superscript ° refer to the comonomer feed, specifically, the sum of complexed and uncomplexed monomer. 

The complex participation model, like the depropagation model, predicts a variation of the copolymer composition with temperature and monomer concentration. The effect of temperature comes from the change in K, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of the comonomer complex with increasing temperature. Increasing monomer concentration at a constant/i increases the comonomer complex concentration. 

The complex participation model has been tested in the radical copolymerizations of 1,1-diphenylethylene-methyl acrylate, styrene-P-cyanoacrolein, vinyl acetate-hexafluoroace-tone, A-vinylcarbazole diethyl fumarate, A-vinylcarbazole funiaronitrile, maleic anhydride-vinyl acetate, styrene-maleic anhydride [Burke et al., 1994a,b, 1995 Cais et al., 1979 Coote and Davis, 2002 Coote et al., 1998 Dodgson and Ebdon, 1977 Fujimori and Craven, 1986 Georgiev and Zubov, 1978 Litt, 1971 Lift and Seiner, 1971 Yoshimura et al., 1978]. 

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Chemical Properties. Higher a-olefins are exceedingly reactive because their double bond provides the reactive site for catalytic activation as well as numerous radical and ionic reactions. These olefins also participate in additional reactions, such as oxidations, hydrogenation, double-bond isomerization, complex formation with transition-metal derivatives, polymerization, and copolymerization with other olefins in the presence of Ziegler-Natta, metallocene, and cationic catalysts. All olefins readily form peroxides by exposure to air. 

The ability to determine which copolymerization model best describes the behavior of a particular comonomer pair depends on the quality of the experimental data. There are many reports in the literature where different workers conclude that a different model describes the same comonomer pair. This occurs when the accuracy and precision of the composition data are insufficient to easily discriminate between the different models or composition data are not obtained over a wide range of experimental conditions (feed composition, monomer concentration, temperature). There are comonomer pairs where the behavior is not sufficiently extreme in terms of depropagation or complex participation or penultimate effect such that even with the best composition data it may not be possible to conclude that only one model fits the composition data [Hill et al., 1985 Moad et al., 1989]. 

The sequence distributions expected for the different models have been described [Hill et al., 1982, 1983 Howell et al., 1970 Tirrell, 1986] (Sec. 6-5a). Sequence distributions obtained by 13C NMR are sometimes more useful than composition data for discriminating between different copolymerization models. For example, while composition data for the radical copolymerization of styrene-acrylonitrile are consistent with either the penultimate or complex participation model, sequence distributions show the penultimate model to give the best fit. 

Several studies on the reactivities of small radicals with donor-acceptor monomer pairs have been carried out to provide insight into the mechanism of copolymerizations of donor-acceptor pairs. Tirrell and coworkers " reported on the reaction of n-butyl radicals with mixtures of N-phcnylmalcimidc and various donor monomers e.g. S, 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether),. lenkins and coworkers have examined the reaction of t-butoxy radicals with mixtures of AN and VAc. Both groups have examined the S-AN system (see also Section 7.3.1.2). In each of these donor-acceptor systems only simple (one monomer) adducts are observed. Incorporation of monomers as pairs is not an important pathway i.e. the complex participation model is not applicable). Furthermore, the product mixtures can be predicted on the basis of what is observed in single monomer experiments. The reactivity of the individual monomers (towards initiating radicals) is unaffected by the presence of the other monomer i.e. the complex dissociation model is not applicable). Unless propagating species are shown to behave differently, these results suggest that neither the complex participation nor complex dissociation models apply in these systems. 

In these models, the complex formed by the monomer pair competes with the individual monomer molecules for the propagation reaction with the radicals. There are two variations of this approach in the complex participation model, the pair of monomers form a complex and are added to the chain radical [106-109]. On the other hand, in the complex dissociation model, the complex participates in the propagation process, but dissociates upon reaction and only one of the monomers is added to the chain [101, 103]. Although there is ample experimental evidence for the existence of such complexes in these copolymerizations (such as the bright colors associated with them) [76], it is questionable whether the complexes actually participate in the propagation step [76]. Additionally, for several years, Hall and Padias have accumulated experimental and theoretical evidence that refutes the validity of the models based on complex participation [76, 77]. Both the complex participation and the penultimate models were combined in the so-called comppen model [110]. 

A few spontaneous copolymerizations between exceptionally reactive donor acceptor olefinic pairs have been observed. Miller and Gilbert [37] observed that vinylidene cyanide spontaneously copolymerized with vinyl ethers when the two monomers were mixed at room temperature. Yang and Gaoni [38] observed that 2,4,6-trinitrostyrene as the acceptor monomer spontaneously copolymerized with 4-vinylpyridine as the donor monomer when the two were mixed at room temperature. Butler and Sharpe [39] reported that divinyl ether and divinyl sulfone spontaneously copolymerized upon monomer mixing. Thus, the participation of the charge-transfer complex in the copolymerization mechanism of such strong electron donor electron acceptor monomer pairs appears to have considerable support. 

Other monomers that copolymerize with alkyl vinyl ethers are vinyl ketones [47], acrolein diacetate [48], acrylamide [49], alkoxy 1,3-butadienes [50], butadiene [51], chloroprene [52], chlorotrifluoroethylene [53], tri-and tetrafluoroethylene [54], cyclopentadiene [55], dimethylaminoethyl acrylate [56], fluoroacrylates [57], fluoroacrylamides [58], A-vinyl car-bazole [59,60], triallyl cyanurate [59,60], vinyl chloroacetate [61,62], N-vinyl lactams [63], A-vinyl succinimide [63], vinylidene cyanide [64, 65], and others. Copolymerization is especially suitable for monomers having electron-withdrawing groups. Solution, emulsion, and suspension techniques can be used. However, in aqueous systems the pH should be buffered at about pH 8 or above to prevent hydrolysis of the vinyl ether to acetaldehyde. Charge-transfer complexes have been suggested to form between vinyl ethers and maleic anhydride, and these participate in the copolymerization [66]. Examples of the free-radical polymerization of selected vinyl ethers are shown in Table IV. 

Copolymerization, on the other hand, is very easy with maleic anhydride. It copolymerizes by a free-radical reaction with a wide variety of monomers and many of the copolymers are perfectly alternating. This tendency of MA to form alternating copolymers derives from the participation of a donor-acceptor complex formed by the two reacting monomers. The term is used to describe... 

Spontaneous copolymerization of cyclopentene (CPT) with sulfur dioxide (SOt) suggests the participation of a charge transfer complex in the initiation and propagation step of the copolymerization. The ESR spectrum together with chain transfer and kinetic studies showed the presence of long lived SOg radical. Terpolymerization with acrylonitrile (AN) was analyzed as a binary copolymerization between CPT-SOt complex and free AN, and the dilution effect proved this mechanism. Moderately high polymers showed enhanced thermal stability, corresponding to the increase of AN content in the terpolymer. 

Iwatsuki and Yamashita (46, 48, 50, 52) have provided evidence for the participation of a charge transfer complex in the formation of alternating copolymers from the free radical copolymerization of p-dioxene or vinyl ethers with maleic anhydride. Terpolymerization of the monomer pairs which form alternating copolymers with a third monomer which had little interaction with either monomer of the pair, indicated that the polymerization was actually a copolymerization of the third monomer with the complex (45, 47, 51, 52). Similarly, copolymerization kinetics have been found to be applicable to the free radical polymerization of ternary mixtures of sulfur dioxide, an electron donor monomer, and an electron acceptor monomer (25, 44, 61, 88), as well as sulfur dioxide and two electron donor monomers (42, 80). 

In addition to the formation of active centres and participation in elementary processes, the discussion of which forms the main topic of this volume, monomers very often react with some component(s) of the polymerizing medium under complex formation. This reaction is very important. Complex formation lowers the effective monomer concentration, and changes in the polymerization rate usually occur. When the complex is much more active than the monomer, it may react preferentially with the active centre. This, of course, changes the addition mechanism and kinetics. When the monomer and complex also compete, the macrokinetics need not necessarily change. Usually, however, the mechanism of the whole process is greatly complicated, and a kind of copolymerization occurs. 

It has been suggested that CT complexes may actually participate in the polymerization. For example, Butler and Campus (12) presented evidence for participation of the CT complex of MA and divinyl ether (DVE) in a terpolymerization study using fumaroni-trile, DVE and MA. Recently, a computer program (13) was published for evaluating the CT copolymerization modeTwhen operating in competition with the terminal model. 

They argued that this trend could not be explained by copolymerization through the solvent or transfer to the solvent because there was no correlation with the solvent dielectric constant or polarity, or with the rate constants for transfer to solvent. However, there was a correlation with the calculated delocalization stabilization energy for complexes between the radieal and the solvent, which suggested that the propagating radical was stabilized by the solvent or monomer, but the solvent did not actually participate in the reaction. 

Recently, Baird and co-workers have reported (75) examples of polymerizations by a simple mono-Cp titanium complex, (C5(CH3)5)Ti(CH3)3 activated with a Lewis acid (B(C6F5)3) that not only copolymerizes ethylene and a-olefins but also induces polymerization of monomers normally associated with cationic polymerization such as isobutylene and vinyl ethers. Shaffer and Ashbaugh foimd (76) that for isobutylene and a-methylstyrene, the metal complex is an initiator rather than a catalyst (if it even participates at all), but that a transition from cationic to coordination polymerization occurs in styrene polymerization as temperature is raised. Even if it merely functions as an initiator, however, these investigations have revealed new polymerization systems based on anions such as [RB(C6F5)3l (R = alkyl, CeFs) that are less prone to side reactions tending to limit the MW and degree of polymerization of monomers like isobutylene at moderate temperatures (T > -80°C). 

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