Grafting from the Chains

Grafting from, exploits the active sites, which exist or can easily be generated on a polymer. Halogenated polymers are most frequently used for this purpose poly(vinyl) chloride), polychloroprene, chlorinated EPDM, chlorobutyl rubber, bromobutyl rubber, chlorinated polybutadiene, chlorinated butadiene-styrene copolymers etc.145). 

Polychloroprene was reprecipitated three times from toluene, in methanol and dried in vacuum. Then a solution of AgPF6 in CH2C12 was added to the solution of polychloroprene in THF. AgCl precipitated and the polymerization was terminated with triphenylphosphine or ammonium hydroxide under nitrogen. The copolymers were isolated by evaporating volatiles and drying in vacuum. 

Polychloroprene (Neoprene W, Mn = 180,000) was used as the backbone polymer. This polymer contains approximately 1.5% tertiary allylic chlorine atoms  

These chlorine atoms were activated by addition of AgPF6 (in excess over the tertiary allylic chlorides) in the presence of THF this monomer was quantitatively grafted from the neoprene backbone  

Grafting of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline from chloromethylated polystyrene beads in benzonitrile at 110 °C gave graft copolymers, which were hydrolysed to poly(styrene-g-ethyleneimine) and used as chelating agents. 

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