Monomers metathesis

A potential drawback of all the routes discussed thus far is that there is little control over polydispersity and molecular weight of the resultant polymer. Ringopening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is a living polymerization method and, in theory, affords materials with low polydispersities and predictable molecular weights. This methodology has been applied to the synthesis of polyacctylcne by Feast [23], and has recently been exploited in the synthesis of PPV. Bicyclic monomer 12 [24] and cyclophane 13 [25) afford well-defined precursor polymers which may be converted into PPV 1 by thermal elimination as described in Scheme 1-4. 

Nearly all of the polymers produced by step-growth polymerization contain heteroatoms and/or aromatic rings in the backbone. One exception is polymers produced from acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization.22 Hydrocarbon polymers with carbon-carbon double bonds are readily produced using ADMET polymerization techniques. Polyesters, polycarbonates, polyamides, and polyurethanes can be produced from aliphatic monomers with appropriate functional groups (Fig. 1.1). In these aliphatic polymers, the concentration of the linking groups (ester, carbonate, amide, or urethane) in the backbone greatly influences the physical properties. 

ADMET polymers are easily characterized using common analysis techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance ( H and 13C NMR), infrared (IR) spectra, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), vapor pressure osmometry (VPO), membrane osmometry (MO), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The preparation of poly(l-octenylene) (10) via the metathesis of 1,9-decadiene (9) is an excellent model polymerization to study ADMET, since the monomer is readily available and the polymer is well known.21 The NMR characterization data (Fig. 8.9) for the hydrogenated versions of poly(l-octenylene) illustrate the clean and selective nature of ADMET. 

Monomers 24 and 25 behave differently when exposed to catalyst 14, shown in Fig. 8.15. Divinyltetramethyldisiloxane 24 is found to be metathesis inactive due to similar steric inhibitions experienced with divinyldimethylsilane. Monomer 25 is synthesized with one additional methylene spacer unit between the silicon atom and the olefin moiety, which then is reacted with Schrock s [Mo] catalyst. Here, metathesis occurs quite readily, exclusively forming a seven-membered cychc molecule (26) instead of polymer. The formation of the cyclic product can be explained by tire Tliorpe-Ingold effect.15... 

ROMP is without doubt the most important incarnation of olefin metathesis in polymer chemistry [98]. Preconditions enabling this process involve a strained cyclic olefinic monomer and a suitable initiator. The driving force in ROMP is the release of ring strain, rendering the last step in the catalytic cycle irreversible (Scheme 3.6). The synthesis of well-defined polymers of complex architectures such as multi-functionaUsed block-copolymers is enabled by living polymerisation, one of the main benefits of ROMP [92, 98]. 

Catalysts with an unsymmetrical NHC ligand featuring a vinylic side chain have the unique ability to metathesise their own ligand to form a metaUacycle as shown in Scheme 3.7 [119], Ring opening metathesis will then incorporate the monomers, e.g. cyclooctene, into that cycle until a cyclic polymer is cleaved by another intramolecular metathesis step. The catalyst is recovered and can restart this endless route to cyclic polymers [121]. 

Scheme 3.7 REMP Intramolecular metathesis of pre-catalyst 75 to form catalyst 76 incorporation of monomers, release of a cyclic polymer and catalyst recovery...

Fig. 3.31 Steric control in alternating ROMP Tendencies of norbomene and cyclooctene to give productive olefin metathesis upon coordination are illustrated by a thick arrow (preferred monomer) or a thin arrow (less favoured monomer) (a) only minor steric hindrance SlMes greatly favours the polymerisation of the strained norbomene (b) the rotating phenylethyl-group induces a steiically more congested active site, leading to preferred incorporation of the smaller cyclooctene (c) the flexible and small cyclooctene derived polymer fragment permits the incorporation of the bulky norbomene...

We have used different anionic, cationic, and metathesis initiators but after the reaction of the initiator with one monomer molecule (initiation, kj) no subsequent propagation was observed ... 

Wolfe and Wagener have developed main-chain boronate polymers (59) (Fig. 38) by the acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization of symmetrical ,oj-dienes, containing both methyl- and phenyl-substituted boronate functionalities using Mo and Ru catalysts.84 The ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of several norbornene monomers containing methyl- and phenyl-substituted boronates into... 

The first well-defined Ru alkylidene metathesis initiator, (231), was reported by Grubbs et al. in 1992.632 This complex initiates the ROMP of norbornene and other highly strained monomers such as bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-6-ene.633 Examination of alternative ligands634-636 led to the development of more active initiators, in particular (232)637 and (233).638-640... 

Phosphane-free ligands such as dipyridyl—amide-based systems incorporated into suitable monomers were used for the preparation of well-defined heterogeneous Heck systems via ringopening metathesis polymerization (Figure 24).183,184... 

This process is quite unexpected for another reason. The cyclobutene ring is highly strained, making this monomer one of the most easily polymerized of all the cycloolefins. Thus, the variety of catalysts effective for cyclobutene polymerization is much broader than that effective for metathesis of low-strained cycloolefins and acyclic olefins (73). Therefore, the recovery of monomeric cyclobutene rather than its respective polymer is remarkable and indicates the lack of substantial metathesis activity in the above retrocarbenation system. 

The diverse steric course of the metathesis of cyclic vs. acyclic olefins poses a dilemma. It stands to reason that once a cycloolefin monomer... 

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