Poly esterification with maleic anhydride

Mechanochemical processing has been used to conduct the esterification of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with maleic anhydride through stress-induced reaction by pan-milling (Scheme 8.5). In comparison with conventional methods for the esterification of PVA, this protocol is viable and environmentally friendly and can be an effective technique for the chemical modification of polymers. ... 

Polyisobutylene of low molecular weight was synthesized by a Wurtz type reaction from l,4-dibromo-2,2,3,3 tetramethylbutane. Polyacrylates were obtained from alternating copolymerization of symmetric internal olefins or ethylene with maleic anhydride followed by quantitative esterification. Poly(vinyl halides) were prepared from cis-1,4-polybutadiene by chlorination (H-H PVC) or bromin-ation (H-H PrBr). The polymers were characterized and their chemical, thermal, degradation solution, melt and blending behavior was studied. 

Unsaturated poly(ester-imide) resins are known having imide structures at the end of the molecule or in the backbone. Chain termination by imide is frequently done with the tetrahydrophthalic anhydride (23) aminoethanol (9) reaction product [10,201-204]. In the synthesis of these resins, maleic anhydride is used. It is cheap and a world-wide available raw material, having the advantage of generating per mol only one mol of distillate. Patents are known where fumar-ic acid is claimed, e.g., in [205], but it is probably not frequently used in industrial processes. Anyway, under the conditions of the esterification reaction, a part of the maleate is isomerised into the fumarate [206]. To get materials with good heat resistance the use of THEIC is claimed for branching the unsaturated poly(ester-imide) resins [202]. Flexibility and heat resistance are improved when fatty acids, e.g., castor oil fatty acid [205,207], are build into the macromolecule. 

The hydrophobization of cellulose surface was often achieved thanks to the well-known aptitude of cellulose macromolecules to undergo esterification reactions. The main coupling agents used to esterify cellulose using nonswelling solvents, in order to limit the reaction to the fibre s surface, are summarized in Scheme 18.1, namely the classical acetic anhydride [24] (I), alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) II, alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) III, fatty acids (IV, with n var5fing from 6 to 22) or their chlorides, poly-(propylene-gra/f-maleic anhydride) (V), trifluoroethoxy-acetic acid (VI) and its anhydride, as well as several other perfluoro-derivatives, p5Tomellitic anhydride (VII), styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (VIII) and methacrylic anhydride (IX). 

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