Polymerization methods lithium

The commerical polybutadiene (a highly 1,4 polymer with about equal amounts of cis and trans content) produced by anionic polymerization of 1,3-butadiene (lithium or organolithium initiation in a hydrocarbon solvent) offers some advantages compared to those manufactured by other polymerization methods (e.g., it is free from metal impurities). In addition, molecular weight distributions and microstructure can easily be modifed by applying appropriate experimental conditions. In contrast with polyisoprene, where high cis content is necessary for suitable mechanical properties, these nonstereoselective but dominantly 1,4-polybutadienes are suitable for practical applications.184,482... 

Reed 332) has reported that reaction of ethylene oxide with the a,(a-dilithiumpoly-butadiene in predominantly hydrocarbon media (some residual ether from the dilithium initiator preparation was present) produced telechelic polybutadienes with hydroxyl functionalities (determined by infrared spectroscopy) of 2.0 + 0.1 in most cases. A recent report by Morton, et al.146) confirms the efficiency of the ethylene oxide termination reaction for a,ta-dilithiumpolyisoprene functionalities of 1.99, 1.92 and 2.0j were reported (determined by titration using Method B of ASTM method E222-66). It should be noted, however, that term of a, co-dilithium-polymers with ethylene oxide resulted in gel formation which required 1-4 days for completion. In general, epoxides are not polymerized by lithium bases 333,334), presumably because of the unreactivity of the strongly associated lithium alkoxides641 which are formed. With counter ions such as sodium or potassium, reaction of the polymeric anions with ethylene oxide will effect polymerization to form block copolymers (Eq. (80) 334 336>). 

Efficient methods for the synthesis of cyclic bisphenol-A polycarbonates have provided a practical technology for the rapid synthesis of high molecular weight bisphenol-A polycarbonates by anionic ring-opening polymerization as shown in Equation 7.29 [150]. A mixture of cyclic oligomers (M 1300) was polymerized with lithium... 

The general two-step anionic ftmctionalization/hydrosila-tion methodology described herein has been shown to be applicable for the preparation of a wide variety of chain-end functional groups. This method couples the quantitative silyl hydride functionalization of well-defined polymeric organo-lithium compounds using dimethylchlorosilane with the second hydrosilation step in which the silyl hydride-functionalized polymer is added to a functionalized alkene in the presence of a platinum catalyst. Although it is a... 

From the time that isoprene was isolated from the pyrolysis products of natural mbber (1), scientific researchers have been attempting to reverse the process. In 1879, Bouchardat prepared a synthetic mbbery product by treating isoprene with hydrochloric acid (2). It was not until 1954—1955 that methods were found to prepare a high i i -polyisoprene which dupHcates the stmcture of natural mbber. In one method (3,4) a Ziegler-type catalyst of tri alkyl aluminum and titanium tetrachloride was used to polymerize isoprene in an air-free, moisture-free hydrocarbon solvent to an all i7j -l,4-polyisoprene. A polyisoprene with 90% 1,4-units was synthesized with lithium catalysts as early as 1949 (5). 

A very efficient method for annulations158 is based on the addition of lithium or silyl enolates to a-silylated enones as a key step. The diastereoselective 1,4-addition is followed by an aldol condensation. This procedure allows Michael additions under aprotic conditions, whereby the silyl substituent stabilizes the enolate of the Michael adduct preventing polymerization of the enone, 59 l63. 

Polymer Synthesis and Characterization. This topic has been extensively discussed in preceeding papers.(2,23,24) However, we will briefly outline the preparative route. The block copolymers were synthesized via the sequential addition method. "Living" anionic polymerization of butadiene, followed by isoprene and more butadiene, was conducted using sec-butyl lithium as the initiator in hydrocarbon solvents under high vacuum. Under these conditions, the mode of addition of butadiene is predominantly 1,4, with between 5-8 mole percent of 1,2 structure.(18) Exhaustive hydrogenation of polymers were carried out in the presence of p-toluenesulfonylhydrazide (19,25) in refluxing xylene. The relative block composition of the polymers were determined via NMR. 

In this method, attack by an anionic initiator ( -BuLi, potassium alkoxides/cryptand[2.2.2],62 or silyl anions in benzene)63 occurs regioselectively on the less hindered silicon of 9, resulting in an anionically terminated disilanyl-lithium which then attacks another monomer at the less hindered silicon atom. The process continues rapidly (the reaction is usually complete within a few minutes) in a living polymerization fashion to yield 10 on alcohol workup. 

The same polymeric arenes that served as metallation catalysts in equation 119 can also be used for silylation in Barbier-type reactions (equation 131). The polymer is presumably converted to a lithium arene adduct that activates metallic lithium for metallation of the halogenated substrates, before addition of an electrophile to achieve the synthetic goal. Equations 132-135 illustrate some of the cases investigated. The products can be characterized by the usual spectroscopic methods . 

The second process utilizes the two stage method in which half of the styrene added at the beginning of the reaction followed by all the 1,3-hutadiene and then the remaining half of styrene is added. All these polymerization processes are done in cyclohexane since homopolystyrene with or without lithium terminated is insoluble in all straight chain or branched hydrocarbon solvents such as heptane, hexane petroleum ethers or the branched derivatives. 

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