Polymers polyenes, oxidized

Braun [22] showed from ozonolysis that for fractions of bulk PVC the number of internal double bonds and the rate of thermal degradation, although dependent on each other, were independent of the molecular weight. This clearly demonstrated the role of internal unsaturation on the stability of the polymer. After careful chlorination of the double bonds, an increase in thermal stability was observed and the number of double bonds as determined by oxidation with potassium permanganate were reduced. It was also shown that one polyene sequence was formed from each isolated double bond. 

Photolysis of PVC in the presence of oxygen causes oxidation of the polymer. However, under most (perhaps all) conditions, in both the presence and absence of oxygen, the photodegradation is complicated by scissions of carbon-chlorine bonds. Such scissions may lead to the formation of conjugated polyene sequences via sequential dehydrochlorination (Equation 1). The polyenes... 

Unlike polyacetylene, substituted polyacetylenes are amorphous, electrically insulator soluble polymers.413 They are highly stable and not sensitive to oxidation. Since the substituents exert a strong steric effect, the polyene backbone is not copla-nar, and as a result, only limited conjugation is possible. 

Reactions of type (a) are among the most extensively studied, as they include the. synthesis of polyacrylamide Mannich bases, widely employed in water-purification processes. Many other polymeric substrates are, however, succe.ssfully subjected to Mannich reaction (Table 33). Moreover, some polymeric substances need to be suitably functionalized in order to undergo the aminomethylation reaction, as reported for polymeric ketones obtained by oxidation of polyenes." Further macromolecular carbonyl substrates could be provided by interesting vinyl monomers purposely designed to give polymers suitable for Mannich reaction." ... 

Oxidation with peracids gives epoxides, which can be re-reduced with lithium aluminum hydride (Scheme 5.4.2). Another typical carotene reaction is rapid oxidative or reductive bleaching, which may also occur in the solid state. Cross-linked polymers of unknown structure are formed (see Fig. 5.5.3). With age, fluorescent pigments accumulate in the retinal pigment epithelium. The major chromophore of this particular pigment contains a pyri-dinium ring with two polyene side chains. It can be synthesized from two retinal molecules and ethanolamine via the enamine of retinal and condensation with a second retinal molecule (Scheme 5.4.3) (Eldred and Lasky,1993 Sakai et al.,1996). 

The carotenes and other conjugated linear polyenes have been touted as "molecular wires" or as "molecular antennas" [21], and certainly will provide fast electronic access to single molecules. These polyenes are, unfortunately, very susceptible to air oxidation (as is the simplest conducting polymer, doped polyacetylene). 

---