Polymerization reaction scheme

An unusual synthetic approach to PF copolymers was demonstrated by Bunz and coworkers [370], who prepared poly(fluorene ethynylene) 281a-e by metathesis polymerization reaction (Scheme 2.44) [370], The aggregation of polymers 281 in concentrated solutions and in solid state is manifested in slight (up to 10-20 nm) red shift of the absorbance and emission peaks, although solutions and films emit pure blue light. 

The first enzymatic polymerizations of substituted lactones were performed by Kobayashi and coworkers using Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase or CALB as the biocatalyst [90-92]. A clear enantiopreference was observed for different lactone monomers, resulting in the formation of optically active polymers. More recently, a systematic study was performed by Al-Azemi et al. [93] and Peelers et al. [83] on the ROP of 4-alkyl-substituted CLs using Novozym 435. Peelers et al. studied the selectivity and the rates as a function of the substituent size with the aim of elucidating the mechanism and the rate-determining step in these polymerizations. Enantio-enriched polymers were obtained, but the selectivity decreased drastically with the increase in substituent size [83]. Remarkably for 4-propyl-e-caprolactone, the selectivity was for the (R)-enantiomer in a polymerization, whereas it was S)-selective in the hydrolysis reaction. Comparison of the selectivity in the hydrolysis reaction (Fig. 10b) with that of the polymerization reaction (Scheme 8a) revealed that the more bulky the alkyl substituent, the more important the deacylation step becomes as the rate-determining step. 

The polymerization of lactones with the methyl substituent at different positions showed identical enantiopreferences in the polymerization reactions (Scheme 8b) as observed for the hydrolysis reaction (Fig. 10a) [26]. Also in this case, the alternating orientation of the methyl group from 3- to 5-MeCL in the faster reacting enantiomer suggested an odd-even effect. Comparison of the initial rate constants showed that the polymerization of 5-MeCL proceeded the fastest ki = 5h ), whereas 3-MeCL... 

Cationic polymerizations differ from free-radical and homogeneous anionic syntheses of high polymers in that the cationic systems have not so far been fitted into a generally useful kinetic framework involving fundamental reactions like initiation, propagation, and so on. To explain the reasons for the peculiar problems with cationic polymerizations we will, however, postulate a conventional polymerization reaction scheme and show where its inherent assumptions are questionable in cationic systems. 

Better results were obtained in the methyl methacrylate polymerization reactions (Scheme 12). 153-156 showed high catalytic activity with a strong dependence on the ionic radius of the center metal. The lanthanum complex 154 was the most active catalyst and initiated the polymerization without any cocatalyst. Addition of small amounts of AlEts as cocatalyst increased the yield significantly. Polymerization initiated by 154 depended on the temperature and a low temperature (—78°C) was required to afford almost quantitative yields. The resulting polymers were basically syndiotactic and exhibited high molar masses and narrow polydispersities. The catalytic reaction with the lanthanum compound 157 showed no increase of catalytic activity but led to a larger fraction of atactic poly(methyl methacrylate). Moreover, the catalytic activity of all utilized initiators was solvent dependent. 153, 155, and 156 only showed catalytic activity by the addition of a cocatalyst. 153 afforded lower yield after changing the solvent from toluene into THF. 

It is clear from the above discussions that deriving a general kinetic scheme for cationic polymerizations is rather unrealistic. Nevertheless, we shall postulate here a conventional polymerization reaction scheme based upon the chemistry given in the earlier sections and show where the implied assumptions are not realistic enough. Using an ideal reaction scheme, we may depict a cationic polymerization by the following set of elementary reactions ... 

For the reactions of RC=CH with Me3CC=W(OCMc3)3, metathesis products can be detected in the early stages, but the metathesis reaction is rapidly overtaken by polymerization (Bray 1993 Mortreux 1995). This results from elimination of a hydrogen atom from the intermediate metallacyclobutadiene, leading to the formation of a metal carbene complex which then propagates the polymerization reaction Scheme 10.3 (also see McCullough 1983). 

Many of the simple monomers can be purchased commercially. Facile Grignard coupling alfords the 3-substitued thiophene derivatives, which can be purified by distillation procedures. The more complex monomers or hahde derivatives are synthesized via various techniques dependent upon the type of synthetic method and are usually noted in the polymerization reaction schemes. The most common polymerization techniques involve anhydrous solvents, with stable catalysts. THF is the most commonly used solvent for both substituted and nonsubstituted polythiophenes. 

SCHEME 7.2 Olefin polymerization reaction schemes (a) conventional Cossee-Arhnan reaction sequence (b) counteranion displaced reaction sequence (c) stereodifferentiation reaction sequence. P and P represent polymer chains of length n and n + 1, respectively. 

FIGURE 4.8 Interfacial polymerization reaction schemes for (a) RO and (b) NF membranes. 

Other approaches have explored the reaction of amines with dimethyl carbonate or its precursors (28). A reaction scheme for the production of polymeric MDI is as follows ... 

Fig. 2. Reaction scheme for the anionic polymerization of propylene oxide.

Polymerization Initiator. Some unsaturated monomers can be polymerized through the aid of free radicals generated, as transient intermediates, in the course of a redox reaction. The electron-transfer step during the redox process causes the scission of an intermediate to produce an active free radical. The ceric ion, Ce" ", is a strong one-electron oxidizing agent that can readily initiate the redox polymerization of, for example, vinyl monomers in aqueous media at near ambient temperatures (40). The reaction scheme is... 

The most important reaction with Lewis acids such as boron trifluoride etherate is polymerization (Scheme 30) (72MI50601). Other Lewis acids have been used SnCL, Bu 2A1C1, Bu sAl, Et2Zn, SO3, PFs, TiCU, AICI3, Pd(II) and Pt(II) salts. Trialkylaluminum, dialkylzinc and other alkyl metal initiators may partially hydrolyze to catalyze the polymerization by an anionic mechanism rather than the cationic one illustrated in Scheme 30. Cyclic dimers and trimers are often products of cationic polymerization reactions, and desulfurization of the monomer may occur. Polymerization of optically active thiiranes yields optically active polymers (75MI50600). 

A chain reaction polymerization of vinyl monomer, which is usually carried out by a photoinitiator to produce a primary radical (R ), which can interact with a monomer molecule (M) in a propagating process to form a polymer chain composed of a large number of monomer units (see Eq. [2] and reaction Scheme [3]. 

Strohmeier and Hartmann [14] first reported in 1964 the photoinitiation of polymerization of ethyl acrylate by several transition metal carbonyls in the presence of CCI4. Vinyl chloride has also been polymerized in a similar manner [15,16] No detailed photoinitiation mechanisms were discussed, but it seems most likely that photoinitiation proceeds by the route shown in reaction Scheme (9). 

In the polymerization of phenyl acetylene [27] by tungsten and mo]ybdenum hexcarbonyls, high-polymer yields were obtained in CCI4 solvent. The following reaction scheme was proposed, which is different from that reported by Bamford and coworkers [17-20] ... 

Polymeranalogous reactions considered above may be referred to as intramolecular condensation transformations since they are accompanied by elimination of low-molecular products. On the other hand, PCSs can be obtained via polymeranalogous transformations, principally intramolecular polymerization reactions . Thermal and chemical cyclization of poly(acrilonitrile) (PAN) is an example of processes of this type. It was demonstrated by a number of researchers216-225 that thermal transformations of PAN follow the scheme ... 

Terpolymerizations or ternary copolymerizations, as the names suggest, are polymerizations involving three monomers. Most industrial copolymerizations involve three or more monomers. The statistics of terpolymerization were worked out by Alfrey and Goldfinger in 1944.111 If we assume terminal model kinetics, ternary copolymerization involves nine distinct propagation reactions (Scheme 7.9). 

Chain transfer to methacrylate and similar maeromonomers has been discussed in Section 6.2.3.4. The first papers on the use of this process to achieve some of the characteristics of living polymerization appeared in 1995.380 The structure of macromonomer RAFT agents (163) is shown in Figure 9.3. An idealized reaction scheme for the case of a MMA terminated macromonomer is shown in Scheme 9.36. 

The main polymerization method is by hydrolytic polymerization or a combination of ring opening as in (3.11) and hydrolytic polymerization as in (3.12).5,7 9 11 28 The reaction of a carboxylic group with an amino group can be noncatalyzed and acid catalyzed. This is illustrated in the reaction scheme shown in Fig. 3.13. The kinetics of the hydrolytic polyamidation-type reaction has die form shown in (3.13). In aqueous solutions, die polycondensation can be described by second-order kinetics.29 Equation (3.13) can also be expressed as (3.14) in which B is die temperature-independent equilibrium constant and AHa the endialpy change of die reaction5 6 812 28 29 ... 

The oligomerization of the ethylene proceeds as a ligand reaction in the coordination sphere of the catalyst complex, as the following reaction scheme shows. The reaction course corresponds with the Ziegler process for ethylene polymerization. 

Surprisingly, after this very first example, there was a 20 year delay in the literature in the appearance of the second report on siloxane macromonomers. However, during this period there have been numerous studies and developments in the vinyl and diene based macromonomers91 -94). The recent approach to the synthesis of siloxane macromonomers involves the lithiumtrimethylsilanolate initiated anionic polymerization of hexamethyltrisiloxane in THF 95,123). The living chain ends were then terminated by using styrene or methacrylate functional chlorosilanes as shown in Reaction Scheme X. 

Preparation of siloxane-carbonate segmented copolymers by interfacial polymerization involves the reaction of carboxypropyl-terminated siloxane oligomers with bisphenol-A and phosgene, in the presence of a strong base and a phase transfer catalyst, in water/methylene chloride solvent system l50 192), as shown in Reaction Scheme XIV. 

Poly(arylester)-polysiloxane multiblock copolymers have also been synthesized by the interfacial polymerization of aminopropyl terminated polysiloxane oligomers with bisphenol-A and a mixture of isophthaloyl and terephthaloyl chlorides117, 193-1951 as illustrated in Reaction Scheme XV. In these reactions the poly(arylester) blocks are formed in situ during the copolymerization, so the control of their block sizes is not very precise. It is also important to note that since aminopropyl terminated siloxane oligomers are employed, the linkages which connect the arylester and siloxane blocks are amide linkages. 

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