Heterogeneous polymerization system

Rate of polymerization. The rate of polymerization for homogeneous systems closely resembles anionic polymerization. For heterogeneous systems the concentration of alkylated transition metal sites on the surface appears in the rate law. The latter depends on the particle size of the solid catalyst and may be complicated by sites of various degrees of activity. There is sometimes an inverse relationship between the degree of stereoregularity produced by a catalyst and the rate at which polymerization occurs. 

Study of the kinetics of the oxidation of asymmetric secondary hydroxylamines to nitrones with H2O2, catalyzed by methylrhenium trioxide, has led to the elucidation of the mechanism of the reaction (104). Full transformation of N,N -disubstituted hydroxylamines into nitrones upon treatment with H2O2 occurs on using polymeric heterogeneous catalysts such as polymer-supported methylrhenium trioxide systems (105). 

Monomers may also be polymerized in solution using good or poor solvents for homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, respectively. In solution polymerizations, solvents with low chain transfer constants are used to minimize reduction in chain length. 

Billingham, N. C. and A. D. Jenkins, Free Radical Polymerization in Heterogeneous Systems, Chap. 6 in Comprehensive Chemical Kinetics, Vol. 14A, C. H. Bamford and C. F. H. Tipper, eds., American Elsevier, New York, 1976. 

Ionic polymerizations, especially cationic polymerizations, are not as well understood as radical polymerizations because of experimental difficulties involved in their study. The nature of the reaction media in ionic polymerizations is often not clear since heterogeneous inorganic initiators are often involved. Further, it is extremely difficult in most instances to obtain reproducible kinetic data because ionic polymerizations proceed at very rapid rates and are extremely sensitive to the presence of small concentrations of impurities and other adventitious materials. The rates of ionic polymerizations are usually greater than those of radical polymerizations. These comments generally apply more to cationic than anionic polymerizations. Anionic systems are more reproducible because the reaction components are better defined and more easily purified. 

Description of polymerization kinetics in heterogeneous systems is complicated, even more so given that the structure of complex formed is not very well defined. In template polymerization we can expect that local concentration of the monomer (and/or initiator) can be different when compared with polymerization in the blank system. Specific sorption of the monomer by macromolecular coil leads to the increase in the concentration of the monomer inside the coil, changing the rate of polymerization. It is a problem of definition as to whether we can call such a polymerization a template reaction, if monomer is randomly distributed in the coil on the molecular level but not ordered by the template. 

In the scheme above, the role of the hydride may very well be played by an alkyl group, particularly for the reverse reaction Figure 13.10 shows the basis for the most important industrial application of organometallic chemistry, the homogeneous polymerization of alkenes, modeled on the heterogeneous system first discovered by Ziegler et al. [288]. The... 

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