Epoxides anionic polymerization

The preparation of novel phase transfer catalysts and their application in solving synthetic problems are well documented(l). Compounds such as quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts, phosphoramides, crown ethers, cryptands, and open-chain polyethers promote a variety of anionic reactions. These include alkylations(2), carbene reactions (3), ylide reactions(4), epoxidations(S), polymerizations(6), reductions(7), oxidations(8), eliminations(9), and displacement reactions(10) to name only a few. The unique activity of a particular catalyst rests in its ability to transport the ion across a phase boundary. This boundary is normally one which separates two immiscible liquids in a biphasic liquid-liquid reaction system. 

The anionic polymerization of epoxides such as ethylene and propylene oxides can be initiated by metal hydroxides, alkoxides, oxides, and amides as well as metal alkyls and aryls, including radical-anion species such as sodium naphthalene [Boileau, 1989 Dreyfuss and Drefyfuss, 1976 Inoue and Aida, 1984 Ishii and Sakai, 1969]. Thus the polymerization of ethylene oxide by M+A involves initiation... 

Excluding polymerizations with anionic coordination initiators, the polymer molecular weights are low for anionic polymerizations of propylene oxide (<6000) [Clinton and Matlock, 1986 Boileau, 1989 Gagnon, 1986 Ishii and Sakai, 1969 Sepulchre et al., 1979]. Polymerization is severely limited by chain transfer to monomer. This involves proton abstraction from the methyl group attached to the epoxide ring followed by rapid ring cleavage to form the allyl alkoxide anion VII, which isomerizes partially to the enolate anion VIII. Species VII and VIII reinitiate polymerization of propylene oxide as evidenced... 

The anionic polymerization of lactams proceeds by a mechanism analogous to the activated monomer mechanism for anionic polymerization of acrylamide (Sec. 5-7b) and some cationic polymerizations of epoxides (Sec. 7-2b-3-b). The propagating center is the cyclic amide linkage of the IV-acyllactam. Monomer does not add to the propagating chain it is the monomer anion (lactam anion), often referred to as activated monomer, which adds to the propagating chain [Szwarc, 1965, 1966]. The propagation rate depends on the concentrations of lactam anion and W-acy I lactam, both of which are determined by the concentrations of lactam and base. 

Potassium carboxylate groups introduced onto the surface of carbon fibers initiated anionic polymerization of epoxides (e.g., styrene oxide, epichlorohydrin, and glycidyl phenyl ethers) and cyclic acid anhydrides (e.g., maleic anhydride, succinic anhydride, and phthalic anhydride) in the presence of 18-crown-6 [41]. 

For the (coordination) anionic polymerization, metal alkoxides are often employed as initiators. In this system, the ring opening of epoxide takes place by a nucleophilic attack of an alkoxide on the (activated) epoxide carbon to generate another metal alkoxide which behaves as the propagating species (Scheme 3), The nature of metal-alkoxide... 

As described in the previous sections, the living anionic polymerizations of epoxides and methacrylic esters initiated with aluminum porphyrins 1 [67] are dramatically accelerated upon addition of sterically hindered Lewis acids such as 3 [68,69], where the monomers are coordinated to and activated for nucleophilic attack by the Lewis acids. Successful extension of this method is the living anionic polymerization of oxetane [70]. 

Thus kp for lithium counterion is 1/300 of kp for potassium counterion. The low reactivity and association of lithium alkoxide was reported in the anionic polymerization of epoxides.We have found that two fold increase of the lithium initiator concentration has led to a decrease of the kp nearly to one half. This indicates that the kinetic order with respect to the initiator would be near to zero, suggesting a very high degree of association of the active species. Thus the propagation reaction appears to proceed in practice through a very minor fraction of monomeric active species in case of lithium catalyst. 

Alkoxide-Type Initiators. Using the guide that an appropriate initiator should have approximately the same structure and reactivity as the propagating anionic species (see Table 1), alkoxide, thioalkoxide, carboxylate, and silanolate salts would be expected to be useful initiators for the anionic polymerization of epoxides, thiiranes, lactones, and siloxanes, respectively (106—108). Thus low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) can be prepared... 

The solution thus consists of different particles denoted as contact ion pairs, solvent-separated ion pairs and free ions. The fraction of the individual particles depends on the type of salt, type of solvent, polymerization system, temperature, and salt concentration. The catalytic effect of these particles may be very different as is evident in anionic polymerization of vinyl monomers. For instance, free polystyryl anion is 800times more reactive than its ion pair with the sodium counterion 60 . From this fact it follows that, although the portion of free ions is small in the reaction system, they may play an important role. On the other hand, anionic polymerization and copolymerization of heterocycles proceeds mostly via ion pairs. This is due to a strong localization of the negative charge on the chain-end heteroatom which strongly stabilizes the ion pair itself62. Ionic dissociation constants and ion contributions to the reaction kinetics are usually low. This means that for heterocycles the difference between the catalytic effect of ion pairs and free ions is much weaker than for the polymerization of unsaturated compounds. This is well documented by the copolymerization of anhydrides with epoxides where the substi-... 

Homopolymerization, epoxides aluminate-Lewis acid catalyst system, 11, 602 via aluminum-porphyrin-Lewis acid catalysts, 11, 599 aluminum-tetradentate ligand catalyst system, 11, 601 anionic polymerization, 11, 598 cationic aluminum catalyst system, 11, 603 cationic polymerization, 11, 598 characteristics, 11, 597 zinc-based catalyst system, 11, 605 Homopolymers, cyclic olefins, 11, 716... 

In the polyurethane industry, the polymeric glycols are prepared by anionic polymerization of epoxides such as ethylene oxide and propylene oxide. Poly(tetra-methylene glycol), which was prepared by polymerization of tetrahydrofuran, was subjected to chain extension by reaction with diisocyanate (polyurethane formation) and with dimethyl terephthalate (polyester by alcoholysis). 

Thermal degradation led to the oxo compounds including [(N02)N0)][Ti0(F3CS03)4], Tilv triflate complexes efFiciently catalyze a variety of reactions including the conversion of acetophenones to 1,3,5-triarylbenzenes,658 the nucleophilic ring opening of epoxides,659 Diels—Alder reactions,660 selective Claisen and Dieckmann ester condensations,661 esterification reactions,662 Fries rearrangements,663 homoaldol reactions,664 sequential cationic and anionic polymerizations,641 and the stereoselective synthesis of m-arabinofuranosides.606... 

Of intermediate utility between these two extremes for anionic polymerization is alkoxide ion, which has adequate base strength for initiation of the ring-opening polymerization of epoxides (Eqs. 22.24-22.26). 

Polymer molecular weights are low for anionic polymerizations of propylene oxide (< 5000) since polymerization is severely limited by chain transfer to monomer. Chain transfer to monomer can take place by proton abstraction from the methyl group attached to the epoxide ring ... 

---