Ketene acetal polymerization

Polymerization of methacrylates is also possible via what is known as group-transfer polymerization. Although only limited commercial use has been made of this technique, it does provide a route to block copolymers that is not available from ordinary free-radical polymerizations. In a prototypical group-transfer polymerization the fluoride-ion-catalyzed reaction of a methacrylate (or acrylate) in the presence of a silyl ketene acetal gives a high molecular weight polymer (45—50). 

The anionic polymerization of methacrylates using a silyl ketene acetal initiator has been termed group-transfer polymerization (GTP). First reported by Du Pont researchers in 1983 (100), group-transfer polymerization allows the control of methacrylate molecular stmcture typical of living polymers, but can be conveniendy mn at room temperature and above. The use of GTP to prepare block polymers, comb-graft polymers, loop polymers, star polymers, and functional polymers has been reported (100,101). 

The ring-opening polymerization of ketene acetals (45, X=0) provides a novel route to polyesters and many examples have now been reported (Scheme 4.27). " "7 A disadvantage of these systems is the marked acid sensitivity of the monomers which makes them relatively difficult to handle and complicates characterization. This area is covered by a series of reviews by Bailey ct a/.177 228 ... 

The previous two systems resemble in some way the interesting group-transfer polymerization discovered by the DuPont team 13). The initiator, asilyl ketene acetal, l,... 

The controlled polymerization of (meth)acrylates was achieved by anionic polymerization. However, special bulky initiators and very low temperatures (- 78 °C) must be employed in order to avoid side reactions. An alternative procedure for achieving the same results by conducting the polymerization at room temperature was proposed by Webster and Sogah [84], The technique, called group transfer polymerization, involves a catalyzed silicon-mediated sequential Michael addition of a, /f-unsaluralcd esters using silyl ketene acetals as initiators. Nucleophilic (anionic) or Lewis acid catalysts are necessary for the polymerization. Nucleophilic catalysts activate the initiator and are usually employed for the polymerization of methacrylates, whereas Lewis acids activate the monomer and are more suitable for the polymerization of acrylates [85,86]. 

Diels-Alder reactions [31] and 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions [32, 33] have been performed by use of this methodology. For example, Diaz-Ortiz described the hetero-Diels-Alder and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of ketene acetals. The reactions were improved and products were isolated directly from the crude reaction mixture without polymerization of the ketene acetals [34],... 

The column and apparatus should not be washed with acid cleaning solution because the glass surface is left acidic and it then catalyzes the polymerization of ketene acetal.4 A thin coating of the polymer on the walls of the apparatus is not detrimental. If polymer must be removed, it is best done by dissolving it in a 10 per cent solution of hydrochloric acid in acetone a deep red solution results. 

Related work had shown that the nitrogen analogs of the cyclic ketene acetals were readily synthesized and would polymerize with essentially 100% ring opening. For this reason their copolymerization with a variety of monomers was undertaken (6). 

Since the cyclic ketene acetal V will undergo free radical polymerization to produce an ester group, a study was undertaken to see if... 

On this basis it was reasoned that a benzyl group in a ketene acetal should greatly increase the extent of cleavage during polymerization and, therefore, should increase the efficiency of chain transfer. That in fact is what occurred when an equimolar mixture benzyl methyl ketene acetal (XIV) and styrene was heated at 120°C in the presence of di-tert-buty1 peroxide an oligomer with 80% styrene units and capped with a carbomethoxy group was obtained. 

This indicates the possibility of making addition polymers biodegradable by the introduction of ester linkages in to the backbone. Since the free radical ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals, such as 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (1, Scheme I), made possible the introduction of ester groups into the backbone of addition polymers, this appeared to be an attractive method for the synthesis of biodegradable addition polymers. 

Aliphatic polyesters occupy a key position in the field of polymer science because they exhibit the remarkable properties of biodegradability and biocompatibihty, which opens up a wide range of applications as environmentally friendly thermoplastics and biomaterials. Three different mechanisms of polymerization can be implemented to synthesize aliphatic polyesters (1) the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic ketene acetals, (2) the step-growth polymerization of lactones, and (3) the ROP of lactones (Fig. 1). 

The first route relies on the ROP of cyclic ketene acetals [1-3]. The electron-rich double bond is prone to react with radicals and electrophiles. Therefore, this class of monomers undergoes cationic and radical polymerization. For example, radical initiators react with the double bond to provide a new tertiary radical (Fig. 2). Two distinct mechanisms of polymerization can then take place direct vinyl polymerization or indirect ring opening of the cycle accompanied by the formation of a new radical, which is the propagating species (Fig. 2). The ester function is formed... 

Agarwal S (2010) Chemistry, chances and limitations of the radical ring-opening polymerization of cyclic ketene acetals for the synthesis of degradable polyesters. Polym Chem 1 953-954... 

Undin J, Plikk P, Finne-Wistrand A, Albertsson A-C (2010) Synthesis of amorphous aliphatic polyester-ether homo- and copolymers by radical polymerization of ketene acetals. J Polym Sci A Polym Chem 48 4965 973... 

Group transfer polymerization offers another route to LAP of (meth)acrylates without resorting to low temperatures [Hertler, 1994, 1996 Muller, 1990 Quirk et al., 1993 Reetz, 1988 Schubert and Bandermann, 1989, Sogah et al., 1987, 1990 Webster, 1987, 1992, 2000]. The initiator is a silyl ketene acetal (XXIV) that is synthesized from an ester enolate ... 

For the anionic polymerization of methacrylonitrile (MAN), many initiators have been developed, which include alkali-metal alkyls such as butyllithium [42], triphenylmethylsodium [43], phenylisopropylpotassium [43], the disodium salt of living a-methylstyrene tetramer [44], alkali-metal amides [45], alkoxides [46], and hydroxide [47], alkali metal in liquid NH3 [48], quaternary ammonium hydroxide [49], and a silyl ketene acetal coupled with nucleophilic or Lewis acidic catalysts [50]. However, only a single example of the synthesis of PMAN with narrow molecular-weight distribution can be cited, and the reported number-average molecular weights were much higher than those calculated from the stoichiometry of the butyllithium initiator [42]. 

In contrast to titanium(IV) tetrachloride, which causes polymerization of a,3-unsaturated esters, aluminum triflate88 or aluminum-impregnated montmorillonite87b are excellent promoters of silyl ketene acetal additions to a,(3-unsaturated esters (Scheme 35). Similarly, the addition of silyl ketene acetals and enol silyl ethers to nitroalkenes, followed by Nef-type work-up, affords y-keto esters (216) and y-di-ketones (218), respectively (Scheme 35).89a>89b Mechanistically, the y-diketones (218) arise from Nef-type hydrolysis of an initial nitronate ester (217).89e 89d Mukaiyama reports that SbCls-Sn(OTf)2 catalyzes diastereoselective anti additions of silyl ketene acetals, silyl thioketene acetals and enol silyl ethers to a,(3-unsaturated thioesters (219).90... 

Twenty years have passed since DuPont announced a startling new process for polymerization of methacrylate monomers [1]. The method uses a trimethylsilyl ketene acetal initiator catalyzed by nucleophilic anions. It operates at 80 °C and gives unprecedented control over polymer chain architecture (Scheme 1). 

Acrylates polymerize two orders of magnitude faster than methacrylates by anion catalyzed GTP however, the polymerization dies at about 10,000 MW. During the anion catalyzed polymerization of acrylates the silyl ketene acetal end groups migrate to internal positions. These ketene acetals are too hindered to act as initiators for branch formation [9]. 

To obtain polymer with low MWDs in a living polymerization the rate of initiation must be faster or similar to the rate of propagation. This can suitably be accomplished if the structure of the initiator is the same as that of the growing chain end. For GTP this is a silyl ketene acetal (Scheme 9). The... 

Quirk postulates that the ester enolate end groups are being stabilized by complexation with the silyl ketene acetal end groups (Scheme 13). He agrees that the complex could be adding monomer by the associative process but that since all chains are growing at the same rate, the equilibrium between complex and bare enolate must be faster than the rate of polymerization. 

Quirk s argument is strengthened by Muller s finding that increasing the concentration of silyl ketene acetal retards GTP the result of shifting the equilibrium between enolate and complex to the complex side and thus lowering the concentration of bare enolate and the rate of polymerization [24] (Scheme 13). 

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