Isotactic oligomers

The purely isotactic oligomers of chloral provides unique and ideal models for the quantitative investigation of the properties of helical polymers because the oligomers have a high tendency to crystallize and have very simple H and 13C NMR spectra. As far as we are aware, there is no other analogue of linear low-molecular compounds showing such slow interconversion between enantiomeric helical states. 

Isotactic Oligomers Generated within Monolayers at the Air-Water Interface... 

The zinc complex of 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetonate forms coordination polymers in reaction with either 2,5-bis(4-ethynylpyridyl)furan or l,2-bis(4-ethynylpyridyl)benzene. The X-ray crystal structures demonstrate an isotactic helical structure for the former and a syndio-tactic structure for the latter in the solid state. Low-temperature 1H and 19F NMR studies gave information on the solution structures of oligomers. Chiral polymers were prepared from L2Zn where L = 3-((trifluoromethyl)hydroxymethylene)-(+)-camphorate. Reaction with 2,5-bis(4-ethy-nylpyridyl)furan gave a linear zigzag structure and reaction with tris(4-pyridyl)methanol a homo-chiral helical polymer.479... 

Earlier transition metals, as zirconium and hafnium, are still more active in hydrogenolysis, which allows zirconium hydrides to be used in depolymerization reactions (hydrogenolysis of polyethylene and polypropylene) [89], In this case, the zirconium hydride was supported on silica-alumina. Aluminum hydrides close to [(=SiO)3ZrH] sites would increase their electrophilicity and, thus, their catalytic activity. A catalyst prepared in this way was able to convert low-density polyethylene (MW 125000) into saturated oligomers (after 5h) or lower alkanes at 150°C (100% conversion). It was also able to cleave commercial isotactic polypropylene (MW 250000) under hydrogen at about 190 °C (40% of the starting polypropylene was converted into lower alkanes after 15 h of reaction). 

Some of the polymers slowly change their helicity in solution. A chiral crown ether-potassium ferf-butoxide combined system was reported to cause polymerization of methyl, tert-butyl, and benzyl methacrylate to form isotactic polymers that had high rotation values (164). Detailed scrutiny, however, raised questions about the result (135, 165). At first, in the presence of the initiator, the oligomers exhibit considerable activity, but after removal of the catalyst, the optical activity decreases. This decrease may be attributed to unwinding of the helixes in the chain the helicity could be caused by the anchored catalyst. 

Highly crystalline isotactic polyolefins are not soluble in organic solvents at room temperature. However, most amorphous polyolefins and oligomers of cr-olefins are easily soluble in saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons at ambient temperature. This difference in solubility can be used to separate amorphous atactic components of polyolefins from crystalline isotactic material in crude polyolefins mixtures. 

Anionic ring-opening polymerization of l,2,3,4-tetramethyl-l,2,3,4-tetraphenylcyclo-tetrasilane is quite effectively initiated by butyllithium or silyl potassium initiators. The process resembles the anionic polymerization of other monomers where solvent effects play an important role. In THF, the reaction takes place very rapidly but mainly cyclic live- and six-membered oligomers are formed. Polymerization is very slow in nonpolar media (toluene, benzene) however, reactions are accelerated by the addition of small amounts of THF or crown ethers. The stereochemical control leading to the formation of syndiotactic, heterotactic or isotactic polymers is poor in all cases. In order to improve the stereoselectivity of the polymerization reaction, more sluggish initiators like silyl cuprates are very effective. A possible reaction mechanism is discussed elsewhere49,52. 

An ab initio study of the geometries, polarizabilities, and rotational barriers of H(PhSiH) H oligomers has been reported.104 The trends in polarizabilities for isotactic and syndiotactic oligomers with = 4 8 were extrapolated to the infinite polymer limit. 

The model with different end-groups is not realistic in all cases isotactic polypropylene and syndiotactic polypropylene are chiral, or more precisely, their structure is cryptochiral. This model is to be chosen when examining oligomers, and especially when studying the polymerisation mechanism where the structure of the reactive chain end is of extreme importance [16]. 

Optically active ansa metallocenes (R-En(IndH)2ZrCl2) polymerize the diene to give optically active trans-isotactic polymers, whereas only optically active oligomers and inactive polymers are obtained with olefins. 

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