18-Crown polymerization

Chemicals responsible for odor in some PUR foams were synthesised by polymerisation of PO in CH2CI2 with Bp2(C2H )20 catalyst (114). The yield was 25% volatile material and 75% polymeric material. The 25% fraction consisted of dimethyldioxane isomers, dioxolane isomers, DPG, TPG, crown ethers, tetramers, pentamers, etc, and 2-ethy1-4,7-dimethyl-1,3,6-trioxacane (acetal of DPG and propionaldehyde). The latter compound is mainly responsible for the musty odor found in some PUR foams. This material is not formed under basic conditions but probably arises during the workup when acidic clays are used for catalyst removal. 

A method for the polymerization of polysulfones in nondipolar aprotic solvents has been developed and reported (9,10). The method reUes on phase-transfer catalysis. Polysulfone is made in chlorobenzene as solvent with (2.2.2)cryptand as catalyst (9). Less reactive crown ethers require dichlorobenzene as solvent (10). High molecular weight polyphenylsulfone can also be made by this route in dichlorobenzene however, only low molecular weight PES is achievable by this method. Cross-linked polystyrene-bound (2.2.2)cryptand is found to be effective in these polymerizations which allow simple recovery and reuse of the catalyst. 

Upon solidification of molten sulfur, Stt rapidly changes into S]l, which is converted into SL, although at a much slower rate. The molecular stmcture of Stt is that of an octatomic sulfur chain (1,2). The symbol S]1 designates long, polymerized chains of elemental sulfur. SX is perhaps the most characteristic molecular form of sulfur, namely, that of a crown-shaped, octatomic sulfur ring designated in more recent Hterature as (3). The allotropes have different solubiUty in carbon disulfide. Stt and SX are soluble in carbon disulfide, whereas S]1 does not dissolve in this solvent. 

Alkali Metal Catalysts. The polymerization of isoprene with sodium metal was reported in 1911 (49,50). In hydrocarbon solvent or bulk, the polymerization of isoprene with alkaU metals occurs heterogeneously, whereas in highly polar solvents the polymerization is homogeneous (51—53). Of the alkah metals, only lithium in bulk or hydrocarbon solvent gives over 90% cis-1,4 microstmcture. Sodium or potassium metals in / -heptane give no cis-1,4 microstmcture, and 48—58 mol % /ram-1,4, 35—42% 3,4, and 7—10% 1,2 microstmcture (46). Alkali metals in benzene or tetrahydrofuran with crown ethers form solutions that readily polymerize isoprene however, the 1,4 content of the polyisoprene is low (54). For example, the polyisoprene formed with sodium metal and dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (crown ether) in benzene at 10°C contains 32% 1,4-, 44% 3,4-, and 24% 1,2-isoprene units (54). 

Additional empirical observations concerning this reaction were that use of BF3 as its etherate or addition of small amounts of water (both apparently common practices in certain polymerizations) reduce the overall yield of cyclic products because of chain termination. In a typical reaction mixture, 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, and 18-crown-6 were formed in 15%, 5% and 4% yields respectively. Dioxane constituted 40% of the product mixture and the remainder was less than 3% each of identified components below the cyclododecamer. ... 

Diaza-l 8-crown-6 has also been converted into polymeric materials by the reaction of 9 with toluenediisocyanate . The polymeric materials were prepared by stirring commercially available 9 with TDI in dichloromethane solution. Reaction was rapid and exothermic, but the mixture was not worked up until the next day. The product was a white solid which softened between 170—190° and decomposed between 250—270°. 

A good deal of work has been done on polymeric crown ethers during the last decade. Hogen Esch and Smid have been major contributors from the point of view of cation binding properties, and Blasius and coworkers have been especially interested in the cation selectivity of such species. Montanari and coworkers have developed a number of polymer-anchored crowns for use as phase transfer catalysts. Manecke and Storck have recently published a review titled Polymeric Catalysts , which may be useful to the reader in gaining additional perspective. 

Most of the compounds in this class have been prepared from preexisting crown ether units. By far, the most common approach is to use a benzo-substituted crown and an electrophilic condensation polymerization. A patent issued to Takekoshi, Scotia and Webb (General Electric) in 1974 which covered the formation of glyoxal and chloral type copolymers with dibenzo-18-crown-6. The latter were prepared by stirring the crown with an equivalent of chloral in chloroform solution. Boron trifluoride was catalyst in this reaction. The polymer which resulted was obtained in about 95% yield. The reaction is illustrated in Eq. (6.22). 

For the purpose of our discussion, a polycrown is here defined as a polymer system arising by polymerization of a crown monomer unit. Extensive work has been done in this field by Kopolow, Hogen Esch and Smid and the examples presented here are taken from a paper by all three of these workers. A typical preparation of vinylbenzo-15-crown-5 is accomplished according to the scheme shown as Eq. (6.25). One might also have utilized a formylation/Wittig sequence on benzo-15-crown-5 to accomplish the same end. 

Warshawsky and coworkers have recently reported the synthesis of a class of compounds which they call polymeric pseudocrown ethers . A chloromethylated polystyrene matrix is used here as in 6.6.2, but instead of adding a crown to the backbone, a strand of ethyleneoxy units is allowed to react at two different positions on the chain, thus forming a crown. Such systems must necessarily be statistical, and the possibility exists for forming interchain bridges as well as intrachain species. Nevertheless, polymers which could be successfully characterized in a variety of ways were formed. A schematic representation of such structures is illustrated below as compound 30. ... 

Chapter 6 Miscellaneous crown type compounds, including acetals, and compounds containing sulfur, phosphorus, arsenic, etc. Polymeric species are included here and in chapter three. 

Recently, the above mentioned model reaction has been extended to polycondensation reactions for synthesis of polyethers and polysulfides [7,81]. In recent reports crown ether catalysts have mostly been used in the reaction of a bifunctional nucleophile with a bifunctional electrophile, as well as in the monomer species carrying both types of functional groups [7]. Table 5 describes the syntheses of aromatic polyethers by the nucleophilic displacement polymerization using PTC. 

Macro-azo-initiators containing crown ether units were successfully synthesized by Yagci et al. [37,38] condensing ACPC with the c s or trans forms of 4,4 -diaminodibenzo-18-crown-6 (Scheme 8). The polymeric... 

There have been a number of different synthetic approaches to substituted PTV derivatives proposed in the last decade. Almost all focus on the aromatic ring as the site for substitution. Some effort has been made to apply the traditional base-catalyzed dehydrohalogenation route to PTV and its substituted analogs. The methodology, however, is not as successful for PTV as it is for PPV and its derivatives because of the great tendency for the poly(u-chloro thiophene) precursor spontaneously to eliminate at room temperature. Swager and co-workers attempted this route to synthesize a PTV derivative substituted with a crown ether with potential applications as a sensory material (Scheme 1-26) [123]. The synthesis employs a Fager condensation [124] in its initial step to yield diol 78. Treatment with a ditosylate yields a crown ether-functionalized thiophene diester 79. This may be elaborated to dichloride 81, but pure material could not be isolated and the dichloride monomer had to be polymerized in situ. The polymer isolated... 

Normally, persulfate (41) can only be used to initiate polymerization in aqueous or part aqueous (emulsion) media because it has poor solubility in most organic solvents and monomers. However, it has been reported that polymerizations in organic solvent may be initiated by crown ether complexes of potassium persulfate.234 237 Quaternary ammonium persulfates can also serve as useful initiators in organic media. 4 The rates of decomposition of both the crown ether complexes and the quaternary ammonium salts appear dramatically... 

Slomkowski, S., and Penczek, S., Influence of dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether on the kinetics of anionic polymerization of p-propiolactone, Macromolecules, 9, 367-369, 1976. 

In the presence of the reactive initiator phenyl p-nitrobenzoate 2198 phenoxy-trimethylsilane 13d is ehminated in the CsF/18-crown-6 catalyzed polymerization of silylated phenyl p-N-(n-octyl)aminobenzoate 2199 in THF to form the polymer 2200 [12] (Scheme 14.4). 

Thia-crown ethers incorporating propan-2-one units and dimeric silver(I) compounds as (176) and other polymeric species have been prepared.1132,1133 Other substituents can be diisopropyl idene groups which form complexes of the type [AgL(PPh3)]OTf (177),1134 pyridazine,1133 phthalazine1136 ligands or even organometallic compounds as ferrocene in (178).1137... 

One approach is to synthesise polymeric molecules containing crown ether rings which stack on top of each other to produce linear canals through which small cations could migrate. The poly(iminomethylene) crown ether 36 of van Beijnen et al. 241 ... 

Lehn 242 243) has described a solid phase model of a K+ channel based on the crown ether 37. The crystal structure of this inclusion complex reveals stacking of the crown ethers into vertical columns, empirical formula [2 37,2 K, 3 H20]2+, linked by water and potassium ions. The counter ions, empirical formula [K, 3 Br, 4 H20]2, comprise a polymeric chain running parallel to the columns. 

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