Monomer topochemical polymerization

Later, Tieke reported the UV- and y-irradiation polymerization of butadiene derivatives crystallized in perovskite-type layer structures [21,22]. He reported the solid-state polymerization of butadienes containing aminomethyl groups as pendant substituents that form layered perovskite halide salts to yield erythro-diisotactic 1,4-trans polymers. Interestingly, Tieke and his coworker determined the crystal structure of the polymerized compounds of some derivatives by X-ray diffraction [23,24]. From comparative X-ray studies of monomeric and polymeric crystals, a contraction of the lattice constant parallel to the polymer chain direction by approximately 8% is evident. Both the carboxylic acid and aminomethyl substituent groups are in an isotactic arrangement, resulting in diisotactic polymer chains. He also referred to the y-radiation polymerization of molecular crystals of the sorbic acid derivatives with a long alkyl chain as the N-substituent [25]. More recently, Schlitter and Beck reported the solid-state polymerization of lithium sorbate [26]. However, the details of topochemical polymerization of 1,3-diene monomers were not revealed until very recently. 

The polymerization proceeds under photo- [49,50],X-ray [51], and y-ray [52] irradiation in the dark in vacuo, in air, or even in water or organic solvent as the dispersant (nonsolvent) for the crystals, similar to the solid-state polymerization of diacetylene compounds [ 12]. The process of topochemical polymerization of 1,3-diene monomers is also independent of the environment surrounding the crystals. Recently, the thermally induced topochemical polymerization of several monomers with a high decomposition and melting point was confirmed [53]. The polymer yield increases as the reaction temperature increases during the thermal polymerization. IR and NMR spectroscopies certified that the polymers obtained from the thermally induced polymerization in the dark have a stereoregular repeating structure identical to those of the photopolymers produced by UV or y-ray irradiation. 

Fig. 6 Stacking model for the muconate derivatives in the crystalline state and the definition of stacking parameters used for the prediction of the topochemical polymerization reactivity, d c the intermolecular distance between the 2 and 5 carbons, is the stacking distance between the adjacent monomers in a column. 6 and 02 are the angles between the stacking direction and the molecular plane in orthogonally different directions [59]...

Currently, topochemical polymerization is opened not only to the diacetylene library but also to the diene library, which is more popular and a larger collection. Diene polymerization has the potential of being applied to the construction of advanced organic materials in the solid state, because the topochemical polymerization of diacetylene and diene monomers provides different types of polymers, that is, conjugate and nonconjugate polymers, respectively (Scheme 8) [16,61]. 

Molecular alignment in the monomer crystals is controlled by several intermolecular interactions, such as strong and weak hydrogen bonds, leading to the formation of various types of stereoregular polymers via a topochemical polymerization process. This approach to the stereocontrol of polymers differs from other conventional ways in the control of the propagating chain end using catalysts or additives in solution polymerization. 

The synthesis of cis-1,4 polymers was also tried by e use of monomers with an s-cis conformation. The solid-state photopolymerization of pyridone derivatives, which is a six-membered cyclic diene amide and is a tautomer of 2-hydroxypyridine, was attempted [100]. Pyridones make hydrogen-bonded cocrystals with a carboxylic acid in the crystalline state. Because the cyclic structure fixes its s-cis conformation, if the polymerization proceeds, a cis-2,5 polymer would be obtained. Actually, however, the photopolymerization did not occur, contrary to our expectation, but [4-1-4] photodimerization proceeded when the carbon-to-carbon distance for the dimerization was small (less than 4 A) [101]. A closer stacking distance of the 2-pyridone moieties might be required for the topochemical polymerization of cychc diene monomers. 

The topochemical polymerization of 1,3-diene monomers based on polymer crystal engineering can be used not only for tacticity but also for the other chain structures such as molecular weight [ 102], ladder [84] or sheet [ 103] structures, and also polymer layer structures using intercalation reactions [ 104-107]. Some mechanical and structural properties have already been revealed with well-defined and highly or partly crystalline polymers [ 108-111 ]. A totally solvent-free system for the synthesis of layered polymer crystals was also reported [112]. 

Wegner G. Topochemical reactions of monomers with conjugated triple bonds. VI. Topochemical polymerization of monomers with conjugated triple bonds. Makromol Chem 1972 154 35-48. 

Topochemical Polymerization The chiral crystalline environment of a monomer itself can be a source of asymmetric induction in solid-state polymerization [69-72], Prochiral monomers such as 37 give enantiomorphic crystals, one of which can be preferentially formed by recrystallization with a trace amount of optically active compounds. Photoir-... 

Fig. 32 (a) Topochemical polymerization mechanism for a typical diacetylene monomer, (b) Crystal structure of a typical poly diacetylene... 

A great majority of polymerizations are simultaneously affected by many physical and chemical factors, and their course is the result of a superposition of these effects. Only in rare cases does one of these factors dominate and the polymerization is formally simplified. In topochemical polymerizations, the growth of macromolecules is governed by forces in the crystal lattice of the monomer. Solid-state polymerization of trioxane (trioxacyclohexane) is a typical example of topochemical polymerization. 

Some important aspects of topochemical polymerizations can be understood by inspection of Eq. (1), All reactivity comes about by very specific rotations of the monomers and by 1,4-addition of adjacent units and an extended, fully conjugated polymer chain is formed. The unique feature of the topochemical polymerization of diacetylenes is the fact that in many cases the reaction can be carried out as a single phase process. This leads to macroscopic, defect-free polymer single crystals which cannot be obtained, in principle, by crystallization of ready-made polymers by conventional methods. Thus, polydiacetylenes are ideal models for the investigation of the behaviour of macromolecules in their perfect three dimensional crystal lattice. 

Fig. 1. Scheme of a topochemical polymerization. Transformation of a monomer single crystal into the polymer single crystal... 

The gradual conversion of the monomer crystal into the equivalent polymer crystal can be considered a special type of phase transition. In some cases the topochemical polymerization is accompanied by an additional structural phase transition. This behaviour is most often observed in monomer structures with a comparatively moderate reactivity where only a partial conversion can be achieved. Here, the side group packing is rearranged either spontaneously or by thermal annealing. This process... 

Polycondensation reactions starting with the monomer in the solid state have been reviewed by Morawetz [13—15). In these polymerizations the monomer is already restricted to a lattice position and the reaction is often influenced by the crystal structure of the monomer (topochemical reaction). Since it is unlikely that polymerization takes place in the interior of a perfect monomer cr5 tal one assumes that the... 

Thirty years later, we discovered the topochemical polymerization of various 1,3-diene monomers giving a highly stereoregular polymer in the form of polymer crystals. When ethyl (Z,Z)-muconatc was photoirradiated in the crystalline state, a tritactic polymer was produced [18, 19], in contrast to the formation of an atactic polymer by conventional radical polymerization in an isotropic state. Thereafter, comprehensive investigation was carried out, for example, the design of monomers, the crystal structure analysis of monomers and polymers, and polymerization reactivity control, in order to reveal the features of the polymerization of 1,3-diene monomers [20-23], Eventually, it was revealed that the solid-state photoreaction... 

Figure 24.7 (a) Semilogarithmic plotsof monomer fraction versus UV irradiation time for the topochemical polymerization of muconates, (b) relationship between relative polymerization rate and degree of shrinking (open circles) or expansion (closed circle) during topochemical polymerization. 

Matsumoto, A. and Odani, T. (2001) Topochemical polymerization of 1,3-diene monomers and features of polymer crystals as organic intercalation materials. Macromol. Rapid Commun., 22, 1195-1215. 

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