Isotactic conformation

A RIS model with neighbor interactions is used to calculate mean-square unperturbed dimensions and dipole moments for vinyl chloride chains having degrees of polymerization ranging from x = 1 to 1 50 and stereochemical structures ranging from perfect syndiotacticity to perfect isotacticity. Conformational energies used in these calculations are those which have been established in the analysis based on the stereochemical equilibration of 2,4-dichloro-n-pentane by Flory and Williams (A 002). 

Stereoregularity. The addition of monomer fixes the tacticity of the previous monomer unit. Syndiotactic structure has the adjacent chlorine atoms oriented to opposite sides of the carbon—carbon—carbon plane, whereas isotactic structure has the adjacent chlorine atoms oriented to same side of the carbon—carbon—carbon plane. The potential energy for syndiotactic conformation is 4.2—8.4 kj/mol (1—2 kcal/mol) lower than for isotactic conformation (74,75). Thus the ratio of propagation rates for syndiotactic to isotactic, kjk, must increase with decreasing temperature. Consequently, with decreasing polymerization temperature, the degree of syndiotacticity in PVC should increase. Measured amounts of syndiotacticity are illustrated in Figure 8... 

In toluene, routes (a) and (b) may be expected the monomer approaches and is added in the isotactic conformation, and this conformation is preserved until the addition of next monomer (after which it cannot change any more). The controlling force, orientating the approaching monomer and maintaining the isotactic conformation, is the Li+ ion. It is not shown in scheme (37) we assume its coordination to the end atom of the growing chain (carbanion) and to the carbonyl of the penultimate unit. 

When the approaching monomer is in syndiotactic conformation and is added as such (c), the / carbon is fixed after addition, but the a carbon can rotate (d) and assume isotactic conformation after the addition of the next unit. The effect of the lithium cation is again assumed to be the driving force for the rotation of the potentially syndiotactic unit to the isotactic conformation. Repeating steps (a) and (b) leads to a threo-diisotactic chain, and repeated steps (c), (d) and (e) to an erythrodiisotac-tic chain. The addition of tetrahydrofuran reduces the number of threo-diisotactic units because it competes with carbonyl groups for coordination to Li+. This enhances the amount of monomer approaching the centre by the syndiotactic route. 

FIGURE 7 16 Poly mers of propene The mam chain IS shown in a zigzag conformation Every other carbon bears a methyl sub stituent and is a chirality center (a) All the methyl groups are on the same side of the carbon chain in isotactic polypropylene (b) Methyl groups alternate from one side to the other in syndiotactic polypropy lene (c) The spatial orienta tion of the methyl groups IS random in atactic polypropylene... 

In addition to existing as helices in crystals, there is evidence that certain vinyl polymers also show some degree of regular alternation between trans and gauche conformations in solution. In solution, the chain is free from the sort of environmental constraints that operate in a crystal, so the length of the helical sequence in a dissolved isotactic vinyl polymer may be relatively short. 

Crystallinity of polypropylene is usually determined by x-ray diffraction (21). Isotactic polymer consists of heHcal molecules, with three monomer units pet chain unit, resulting in a spacing between units of identical conformation of 0.65 nm (Fig. 2a). These molecules interact with others, or different... 

Fig. 2. (a) Chain conformation of isotactic polypropylene, and (b) model of a polypropylene spheruHte. 

The conformation adopted by a molecule in the crystalline structure will also affect the density. Whereas polyethylene adopts a planar zigzag conformation, because of steric factors a polypropylene molecule adopts a helical conformation in the crystalline zone. This requires somewhat more space and isotactic polypropylene has a lower density than polyethylene. 

A polymorphic behavior involving packing of chains having completely different conformations has been found also for isotactic polymers. For instance, isotactic polystyrene, under suitable experimental conditions, can produce crystalline gels in which the chains assume a nearly fully extended conformation [11,12], very close to a truns-planar, rather than the classical conformation of three-fold helix [13]. The two possible conformations proposed for the two crystalline forms of i-PS are shown in Fig. 2. 

Fig. 2 a, b. Side view and projection along the chain axis of models of isotactic polystyrene in the a) s(3/l) helical conformation b) nearly /raw-planar conformation, proposed for the crystalline gels [12]... 

Such configurational as well as conformational effects have been also reported by MILLAN et al. in the case of nucleophilic substitution of poly(vinyl chloride) with sodium thiophenate (14) and with sodium isooctylthioglycolate or isooctylthiosalicylate (15). The authors have shown that these reactions proceed selectively on the isotactic TT diads which can only exist either in the GTTG isotactic or in the TTTG heterotactic triads, the former ones being much more reactive than the latter ones. 

The case of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) presents some differences with respect to those just discussed. While both sPP and PET adopt in their mesophases disordered, extended, essentially non-helical conformations, iPP is characterized by a unique, relatively well ordered, stable chain structure with three-fold helical symmetry [18,19,36]. More accurately we can state that an iPP chain segment can exist in the mesophase either as a left handed or as the enantiomeric right-handed three-fold helix. The two are isoener-getic and will be able to interconvert only through a rather complex, cooperative process. From a morphological point of view Geil has reported that thin films of mesomorphic iPP quenched from the melt to 0 °C consist of... 

The case of isotactic polypropylene is somewhat different issues related to the crystallization of the chiral /1-form [42,43] of this polymer have been discussed by various authors and probably the model presented by Lotz is the most articulated and detailed [14]. It is known that iPP, unlike sPP, adopts in all its crystalline modifications its stable conformation, namely the 3i helix with a 6.50 A periodicity [36], which may be right-handed or... 

First, the short chain length PHAs, poly(HASCL), are composed of monomeric units containing up to 5 carbon atoms. The most well-known representatives are poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and its copolymers with hydroxyvalerate. Of all the PHAs, PHB is by far the most commonly encountered in nature [18]. It is the simplest PHA with respect to chemical structure, having a methylene (-CH3) group as the pendent R-unit in Fig. 1. Owing to its enzymatic synthesis, PHB has an exceptional stereochemical regularity. The chains are linear and the chiral centers all are in the R-stereochemical conformation, which implies that this polymer is completely isotactic. 

By using conformationally variable Cp ligands such as C5H4Pr1, change in the dominant mode of propylene polymerization from isotactic to syndiotactic was accomplished by varying the reaction temperature [172]. 

Figure 1.3 Chain conformation of isotactic polypropylene in its crystalline phases.

Conformational Energy Calculations in Isotactic and Syndiotactic Polymers... 

Although the definitions of isotactic, syndiotactic, and atactic polymers according to International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) rules are well established in terms of succession of mesa (m) or racemic (r) dyads,12 the symbolism of (+) and (—) bonds allows the easy treatments of possible configurations in cases of any complexity.1 Moreover, the (+) or (—) character of the bonds in a polymer chain is strictly related to the accessibility of gauche+ or gauche conformations of the bonds and, therefore, to the formation of right-handed or left-handed helical conformations.1... 

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