Ionic polymerization butadiene

Ionic Polymerization. Ionic polymerizations, especially cationic polymerizations, are not as well understood as radical polymerizations because of experimental difficulties involved in their study. The nature of the reaction media is not always clear since heterogeneous initiators are often involved. Further, it is much more difficult to obtain reproducible data because ionic polymerizations proceed at very fast rates and are highly sensitive to small concentrations of impurities and adventitious materials. Butyl rubber, a polymer of isobutene and isoprene, is produced commercially by cationic polymerization. Anionic polymerization is used for various polymerizations of 1,3-butadiene and isoprene. 

In the liquid phase there are many examples of ionic polymerizations of olefinic compounds induced by high energy radiation. In some, such as propylene,77 1-hexene,78 1-octene,18 and n-hexadecene-1,75 the initiating ionic species is believed to be the parent ion radical while in others such as isoprene,79 isobutylene,80 butadiene,81 and 2-methylstyrene,82 it is thought to be the carbonium ion. 

Conjugated olefins, like styrene, butadiene, and isoprene, can be caused to polymerize by cationic and anionic as well as by free-radical processes because the active site is delocalized in all cases. The most practical ionic polymerizations for these species are anionic, because such reactions involve fewer side reactions and better control of the diene polymer microstructure than in cationic systems. Free-radical polymerization of styrene is preferred over ionie proeesses, however, for cost reasons. 

The first Soviet investigation on the modeling of MWD in the ionic polymerization of butadiene and isoprene in solution on butyllithium catalyst was published in 1958m).In this study one can already find all the elements in the scheme of utilizing MWD to specify the polymerization mechanism. 

Ionic polymerization systems of commercial importance employ mostly batch and continuous solution polymerization processes. Suitable monomers for ionic polymerization include conjugated dienes and vinyl aromatic. Among these, the anionic polymerization of styrene-butadiene (SB) and styrene-isoprene (SI) copolymers and the cationic polymerization of styrene are the most commercially important systems. 

Both cationic and anionic polymerization can be utilized when substituent on active center is capable of delocalizing both positive and negative charges (e.g., styrene and 1, 3-butadiene). The counterion in ionic polymerization has a significant effect on the stereochemistry of the resulting polymer. 

Block AAAAAAB B B B B B B BAAAAA Styrene, butadiene Ionic polymerization Polystyrene-Wocfc-polybutadiene- 6/oc/r-polystyrene... 

In ionic polymerizations, the polarity of the monomers or the ions is far more important than resonance stabilization, while in free radical copolymerizations the reverse is true. For example, if > r2 in cationic copolymerization, then, by contrast, in anionic copolymerization r2 (Table 22-13). If the polarities are very different, then it is no longer possible to have either cationic or anionic copolymerization. The styryl anion, for example, still adds butadiene, but the butadienyl anion does not add styrene. Only monomers with almost identical polarity can undergo true copolymerizations (with r r2 < 1) unless complexes are formed between the active growing end and the monomer. 

The ladder structure is responsible for the relatively high glass-transition temperature (85°C). The copolymers contain about 4 % vinyl double bonds, which result from polymerization via the aldehyde groups. Depending on initiator and reaction conditions, ionic polymerization leads to polymerization via the aldehyde or the vinyl group or both. A 1,4-polymerization of the kind found in butadiene has not yet been established. Several polymers are at the pilot-plant stage. 

In systems where the monomer is highly polarized, radical polymerization does not take place, e.g. aldehydes and ketones are polymerized only by anionic and cationic initiators. Ionic polymerizations are very susceptible to impurities which act as poisons (not the case with free radical initiations). Therefore the system must be scrupulously clean and dry. However, despite these drawbacks commercial polymers such as the thermoplastic elastomeric block copolymers of butadiene/styrene are made. This is possible because the lifetime of the anionic intermediate is long (several hours) and sequential polymerization can take place. 

The free radical initiators are more suitable for the monomers having electron-withdrawing substituents directed to the ethylene nucleus. The monomers having electron-supplying groups can be polymerized better with the ionic initiators. The water solubility of the monomer is another important consideration. Highly water-soluble (relatively polar) monomers are not suitable for the emulsion polymerization process since most of the monomer polymerizes within the continuous medium, The detailed emulsion polymerization procedures for various monomers, including styrene [59-64], butadiene [61,63,64], vinyl acetate [62,64], vinyl chloride [62,64,65], alkyl acrylates [61-63,65], alkyl methacrylates [62,64], chloroprene [63], and isoprene [61,63] are available in the literature. 

Butadiene could be polymerized using free radical initiators or ionic or coordination catalysts. When butadiene is polymerized in emulsion using a free radical initiator such as cumene hydroperoxide, a random polymer is obtained with three isomeric configurations, the 1,4-addition configuration dominating ... 

When many molecules combine the macromolecule is termed a polymer. Polymerization can be initiated by ionic or free-radical mechanisms to produce molecules of very high molecular weight. Examples are the formation of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) from vinyl chloride (the monomer), polyethylene from ethylene, or SBR synthetic rubber from styrene and butadiene. 

Penultimate effects have been observed for many comonomer pairs. Among these are the radical copolymerizations of styrene-fumaronitrile, styrene-diethyl fumarate, ethyl methacrylate-styrene, methyl methacrylate l-vinylpyridine, methyl acrylate-1,3-butadiene, methyl methacrylate-methyl acrylate, styrene-dimethyl itaconate, hexafluoroisobutylene-vinyl acetate, 2,4-dicyano-l-butene-isoprene, and other comonomer pairs [Barb, 1953 Brown and Fujimori, 1987 Buback et al., 2001 Burke et al., 1994a,b, 1995 Cowie et al., 1990 Davis et al., 1990 Fordyce and Ham, 1951 Fukuda et al., 2002 Guyot and Guillot, 1967 Hecht and Ojha, 1969 Hill et al., 1982, 1985 Ma et al., 2001 Motoc et al., 1978 Natansohn et al., 1978 Prementine and Tirrell, 1987 Rounsefell and Pittman, 1979 Van Der Meer et al., 1979 Wu et al., 1990 Yee et al., 2001 Zetterlund et al., 2002]. Although ionic copolymerizations have not been as extensively studied, penultimate effects have been found in some cases. Thus in the anionic polymerization of styrene t-vinylpyri-dine, 4-vinylpyridine adds faster to chains ending in 4-vinylpyridine if the penultimate unit is styrene [Lee et al., 1963]. 

Stereospecific polymerization has particular significance for the preparation of stereoregular polymeric dienes. In the radical polymerization of butadiene or isoprene the molecular chains always consist of varying proportions of adjacent cis- and trans-1,4-units as well as 1,2- and 3,4- linked units, depending on the polymerization conditions but it is now possible, using particular ionic initiation systems to make a synthetic natural rubber that contains more than 90% cfs-l,4-isoprene repeating units (see Example 3-21). 

Dupont and co-workers studied the Pd-catalyzed dimerization [108] and cyclodimerization [109] of butadiene in non-chloroaluminate ionic liquids. The biphasic dimerization of butadiene is an attractive research goal since the products formed, 1,3,5-octatriene and 1,3,6-octatriene, are sensitive towards undesired polymerization, so that separation by distillation is usually not possible. These octa-trienes are of some commercial relevance as intermediates for the synthesis of fragrances, plasticizers, and adhesives. Through the use of PdCl2 with two equivalents of the ligand PPhj dissolved in [BMIM][Pp6], [BMIM][Bp4], or [BMIM][CF3S03], it was possible to obtain the octatrienes with 100 % selectivity (after 13 % conversion) (Scheme 5.2-23) [108]. The turnover frequency (TOP) was in the range of 50 mol butadiene converted per mol catalyst per hour, which represents a substantial increase in catalyst activity in comparison to the same reaction under otherwise identical conditions (70 °C, 3 h, butadiene/Pd = 1250) in THF (TOP = 6 h ). 

Early studies (1 ) of the kinetics of polymerization of styrene, isoprene and butadiene in hydrocarbon solvents indicated a half-order rate dependency on growing chain concentration, although there were conflicting data at that time (10, 11) which suggested even lower fractional orders for the dienes. Since the apparent half-order dependency could not be rationalized, as in the case of the polar media, by an ionic dissociation mechanism, some other form of association-dissociation phenomenon offered a possible answer. In view of the known tendency of organolithium compounds to undergo molecular association in non-polar media, the following scheme was proposed by us (l) ... 

In alkyllithium initiated, solution polymerization of dienes, some polymerization conditions affect the configurations more than others. In general, the stereochemistry of polybutadiene and polyisoprene respond to the same variables Thus, solvent has a profound influence on the stereochemistry of polydienes when initiated with alkyllithium. Polymerization of isoprene in nonpolar solvents results largely in cis-unsaturation (70-90 percent) whereas in the case of butadiene, the polymer exhibits about equal amounts of cis- and trans-unsaturation. Aromatic solvents such as toluene tend to increase the 1,2 or 3,4 linkages. Polymers prepared in the presence of active polar compounds such as ethers, tertiary amines or sulfides show increased 1,2 (or 3,4 in the case of isoprene) and trans unsaturation.4. 1P U It appears that the solvent influences the ionic character of the propagating ion pair which in turn determines the stereochemistry. 

The relative ionic nature of the catalyst required for these monomers has been determined. Spirin, Pres-Yakubovich, Polyakov, Gant-makher and Medvedev (57) studied the alkyl lithium polymerization of styrene, isoprene and butadiene. At high alkyllithium concentrations, styrene polymerized more rapidly than either isoprene or butadiene. As the ionicity was decreased by reducing the alkyllithium concentrations to about 10 moles per liter, the rates of polymerizations of the monomers were nearly the same. 

An interesting effect of the ionic factors of the polymerization was found by Kuntz (59). He has shown that the homopolymerization of styrene using butyllithium catalysts is six times as rapid as that of butadiene. However, in copolymerization, butadiene polymerized initially at its own rate with relatively small amounts of the styrene being consumed. Only after 90% of the butadiene had been consumed, the styrene began to polymerize at its own rate. THF increased the rate of the polymerization but had little effect on the rate of butadiene to styrene which is polymerized. The butadiene structure is little influenced by copolymerization. The homopolymer contained 44% cis-1.4, 7% 1.2 and 49% trans-1.4 while the butadiene units of the butadiene copolymers contained 40% cis 1.4, 7% 1.2 and 53% trans-1.4 groups. 

---