Polyethers catalyst

Phase transfer catalysis. As well as their use in homogeneous reactions of the type just described, polyethers (crowns and cryptands) may be used to catalyse reactions between reagents contained in two different phases (either liquid/liquid or solid/liquid). For these, the polyether is present in only catalytic amounts and the process is termed phase transfer catalysis . The efficiency of such a process depends upon a number of factors. Two important ones are the stability constant of the polyether complex being transported and the lipophilicity of the polyether catalyst used. 

Poly(ethylene oxide)s [25372-68-3] are made by condensation of ethylene oxide with a basic catalyst. In order to achieve a very high molecular weight, water and other compounds that can act as chain terminators must be rigorously excluded. Polymers up to a molecular weight of 8 million are available commercially in the form of dry powders (27). These must be dissolved carefliUy using similar techniques to those used for dry polyacrylamides. Poly(ethylene oxide)s precipitate from water solutions just below the boiling point (see Polyethers, ethylene oxide polymers). 

Reaction Injection Molding. RIM uses the anionic polymeri2ation of nylon-6 to carry out polymeri2ation in the mold. A commercial process involves the production of block copolymers of nylon-6 and a polyether by mixing molten caprolactam, catalyst, and polyether prepolymer, and reacting in a mold (27,28). 

The mixture is kept for 3 hours at 105°C after the oxide addition is complete. By this time, the pressure should become constant. The mixture is then cooled to 50°C and discharged into a nitrogen-filled botde. The catalyst is removed by absorbent (magnesium siUcate) treatment followed by filtration or solvent extraction with hexane. In the laboratory, solvent extraction is convenient and effective, since polyethers with a molecular weight above about 700 are insoluble in water. Equal volumes of polyether, water, and hexane are combined and shaken in a separatory funnel. The top layer (polyether and hexane) is stripped free of hexane and residual water. The hydroxyl number, water, unsaturation value, and residual catalyst are determined by standard titration methods. 

THE can be polymerized by many strongly acidic catalysts, but not all of them produce the requked bitimctional polyether glycol with a minimum of by-products. Several large-scale commercial polymerization processes are based on fluorosulfonic acid, HESO, catalysis, which meets all these requkements. The catalyst is added to THE at low temperatures and an exothermic polymerization occurs readily. The polymerization products are poly(tetramethylene ether) chains with sulfate ester groups (8). 

Ammonia, and Amines. Isopropanolamine is the product of propylene oxide and ammonia ia the presence of water (see Alkanolamines). Propylene oxide reacts with isopropanolamine or other primary or secondary amines to produce A/- and A/,A/-disubstituted isopropanolamines. Propylene oxide further reacts with the hydroxyl group of the alkanolamines to form polyether polyol derivatives of tertiary amines (50), or of secondary amines ia the presence of a strong base catalyst (51). 

Propylene oxide has found use in the preparation of polyether polyols from recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (264), haUde removal from amine salts via halohydrin formation (265), preparation of flame retardants (266), alkoxylation of amines (267,268), modification of catalysts (269), and preparation of cellulose ethers (270,271). 

Polyether Polyols. Polyether polyols are addition products derived from cyclic ethers (Table 4). The alkylene oxide polymerisation is usually initiated by alkah hydroxides, especially potassium hydroxide. In the base-catalysed polymerisation of propylene oxide, some rearrangement occurs to give aHyl alcohol. Further reaction of aHyl alcohol with propylene oxide produces a monofunctional alcohol. Therefore, polyether polyols derived from propylene oxide are not truly diftmctional. By using sine hexacyano cobaltate as catalyst, a more diftmctional polyol is obtained (20). Olin has introduced the diftmctional polyether polyols under the trade name POLY-L. Trichlorobutylene oxide-derived polyether polyols are useful as reactive fire retardants. Poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) is produced in the acid-catalysed homopolymerisation of tetrahydrofuran. Copolymers derived from tetrahydrofuran and ethylene oxide are also produced. 

In more recent years, molded flexible foam products are becoming more popular. The bulk of the molded flexible urethane foam is employed in the transportation industry, where it is highly suitable for the manufacture of seat cushions, back cushions, and bucket-seat padding. TDI prepolymers were used in flexible foam mol ding ia conjunction with polyether polyols. The introduction of organotin catalysts and efficient siHcone surfactants faciHtates one-shot foam mol ding, which is the most economical production method. 

Poly(phenylene ether). The only commercially available thermoplastic poly(phenylene oxide) PPO is the polyether poly(2,6-dimethylphenol-l,4-phenylene ether) [24938-67-8]. PPO is prepared by the oxidative coupling of 2,6-dimethylphenol with a copper amine catalyst (25). Usually PPO is blended with other polymers such as polystyrene (see PoLYETPiERS, Aromatic). However, thermoplastic composites containing randomly oriented glass fibers are available. 

In 1957, it was discovered that organometaUic catalysts gave high mol wt polymers from epoxides (3). The commercially important, largely amorphous polyether elastomers developed as a result of this early work are polyepichlorohydrin (ECH) (4,5), ECH—ethylene oxide (EO) copolymer (6), ECH—aUyl glycidyl ether (AGE) copolymer (7,8), ECH—EO—AGE terpolymer (8), ECH—propylene oxide (PO)—AGE terpolymer (8,9), and PO—AGE copolymer (10,11). The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has designated these polymers as follows ... 

A wide range of polyether-polyamide block copolymers were first offered by Atochem in 1981 under the trade name Pebax. These are made by first producing a low molecular weight polyamide using an excess of dicarboxylic acid at a temperature above 230°C and under a pressure of up to 25 bar. This is then combined with a polyether by reaction at 230-280°C under vacuum (O.l-lOTorr) in the presence of a suitable catalyst such as Ti(OR)4. 

As will be discussed later, flexible polyester foams are not altogether satisfactory for upholstery applications and in the 1950s the attention of American chemists turned to the use of polyethers. These materials could be obtained more cheaply than the polyesters but the products were less reactive and with the catalyst... 

The secondary hydroxyl groups of these poly(oxypropylene) glycol diols are less reactive than the primary hydroxyl groups of the earlier polyesters. At the time of the introduction of these polyethers, the catalysts then available were insufficiently powerful for one-shot processes to be practical and so these polymers have been used primarily in prepolymer processes. 

In recent years there has been some substitution of TDI by MDI derivatives. One-shot polyether processes became feasible with the advent of sufficiently powerful catalysts. For many years tertiary amines had been used with both polyesters and the newer polyethers. Examples included alkyl morpholines and triethylamine. Catalysts such as triethylenediamine ( Dabco ) and 4-dimethyla-minopyridine were rather more powerful but not satisfactory on their own. In the late 1950s organo-tin catalysts such as dibutyl tin dilaurate and stannous octoate were found to be powerful catalysts for the chain extension reactions. It was found that by use of varying combinations of a tin catayst with a tertiary amine... 

Formulations for one-shot polyether systems are similar to those used for flexible foams and contain polyether, isocyanate, catalyst, surfactant and water. Trichloroethyl phosphate is also often used as a flame retardant. As with polyesters, diphenylmethane di-isocyanate is usually preferred to TDI because of its lower volatility. Tertiary amines and organo-tin catalysts are used as with the flexible foams but not necessarily in combination. Silicone oil surfactants are again found to be good foam stabilisers. Volatile liquids such as trichlorofluoro-methane have been widely used as supplementary blowing agents and give products of low density and of very low thermal conductivity. 

Recently, the above mentioned model reaction has been extended to polycondensation reactions for synthesis of polyethers and polysulfides [7,81]. In recent reports crown ether catalysts have mostly been used in the reaction of a bifunctional nucleophile with a bifunctional electrophile, as well as in the monomer species carrying both types of functional groups [7]. Table 5 describes the syntheses of aromatic polyethers by the nucleophilic displacement polymerization using PTC. 

Polyether sulfones can be prepared by the reaction of the sodium or potassium salt of bisphenol A and 4,4-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone. Bisphenol A acts as a nucleophile in the presence of the deactivated aromatic ring of the dichlorophenylsulfone. The reaction may also be catalyzed with Friedel-Crafts catalysts the dichlorophenyl sulfone acts as an electrophile ... 

Chlorinated polyether is formulated particularly for products requiring, good chemical resistance. Other materials exhibiting good chemical resistance include all of the fluorocarbon plastics, ethylpentenes, polyolefins, certain phenolics, and diallyl phtha-late compounds. Additives such as fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, colorants, and type catalysts can decrease the chemical resistance of unfilled plastics. Certain chemicals in cosmetics will affect plastics, and tests are necessary in most cases with new formulations. Temperature condition is also very important to include in the evaluation. Careful tests must be made under actual use conditions in final selection studies. 

---