Propagation reactions anionic

The electron-releasing R group helps stabilize this cation. As with anionic polymerization, the separation of the ions and hence the ease of monomer insertion depends on the reaction medium. The propagation reaction may be written as... 

In the anionic copolymerization of lactams, this exchange reaction is faster than the propagation reaction and the copolymer composition is determined by this reaction and not by the propagation reaction127. A general solution of the copolymerization problem considering this equilibrium has not as yet been obtained. 

Reaction Mechanism. The reaction mechanism of the anionic-solution polymerization of styrene monomer using n-butyllithium initiator has been the subject of considerable experimental and theoretical investigation (1-8). The polymerization process occurs as the alkyllithium attacks monomeric styrene to initiate active species, which, in turn, grow by a stepwise propagation reaction. This polymerization reaction is characterized by the production of straight chain active polymer molecules ("living" polymer) without termination, branching, or transfer reactions. 

However, the mechanisms by which the initiation and propagation reactions occur are far more complex. Dimeric association of polystyryllithium is reported by Morton, al. ( ) and it is generally accepted that the reactions are first order with respect to monomer concentration. Unfortunately, the existence of associated complexes of initiator and polystyryllithium as well as possible cross association between the two species have negated the determination of the exact polymerization mechanisms (, 10, 11, 12, 13). It is this high degree of complexity which necessitates the use of empirical rate equations. One such empirical rate expression for the auto-catalytic initiation reaction for the anionic polymerization of styrene in benzene solvent as reported by Tanlak (14) is given by ... 

The ternary complex consisting of the carbenium ion with an anion and a monomer molecule can isomerise with incorporation of the previously complexed monomer molecule into the chain and a shift of the positive charge to the new chain end. This is a unimolecular propagation reaction of zero order with respect to the monomer concentration. It occurs in polymerisations of bulk monomer and in nonpolar solvents, and at relatively high monomer concentrations in polar solvents. 

Table 1 Values of the activation energy reported in the literature for the propagation reaction of the anionic polymerization of styrene (St) in different solvents...

Szwarc, M. and J. Smid, The Kinetics of Propagation of Anionic Polymerization and Copolymerization, Chap. 5 in Progress in Reaction Kinetics, Vol. 2, G. Porter, ed., Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1964. 

Copolymerizations of nonpolar monomers with polar monomers such as methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile are especially comphcated. The effects of solvent and counterion may be unimportant compared to the side reactions characteristic of anionic polymerization of polar monomers (Sec. 5-3b-4). In addition, copolymerization is often hindered by the very low tendency of one of the cross-propagation reactions. For example, polystyryl anions easily add methyl methacrylate but there is little tendency for poly(methyl methacrylate) anions to add styrene. Many reports of styrene-methyl methacrylate (and similar comonomer pairs) copolymerizations are not copolymerizations in the sense discussed in this chapter. 

The typical anionic ring-opening polymerization involves the formation and propagation of anionic centers. Reaction proceeds by nucleophilic attack of the propagating anion on monomer ... 

As exemplified in Figure 2, Type 1 mechanism, electron transfer from L to sens yields two radicals, the substrate radical, L", and the sensitizer radical anion (sens ). In the next step, the lipid radical may induce a chain peroxidation cascade involving propagation reactions -The sensitizer radical anion may also start a sequential one-electron reduction of 2 generating HO in the presence of reduced transition metals. As a result, this may lead to abstraction of a lipid allylic hydrogen with subsequent generation of a carbon-centered lipid radical, L, that is rapidly oxidized to a peroxyl radical (vide supra). 

Thus the growing anionic chain can assume at least two identities the free anion and the anion-cation ion pair (several types of solvated ion-pairs can also be considered). Furthermore, the kinetics of these propagation reactions, which generally show a fractional dependency on chain-end concentration ranging from one-half to unity, can best be explained by assuming that the monomer can react with both the free anion and the ion-pair (4, 5, 60, but at different rates. Thus, for example, in the polymerization of styrene by organosodium, the rate of polymerization (Rp) can be expressed as... 

Thus kp for lithium counterion is 1/300 of kp for potassium counterion. The low reactivity and association of lithium alkoxide was reported in the anionic polymerization of epoxides.We have found that two fold increase of the lithium initiator concentration has led to a decrease of the kp nearly to one half. This indicates that the kinetic order with respect to the initiator would be near to zero, suggesting a very high degree of association of the active species. Thus the propagation reaction appears to proceed in practice through a very minor fraction of monomeric active species in case of lithium catalyst. 

The propagation reaction of ethylene oxide anionic polymerization has been studied in THF at 20 C with " , " + [222], Cs+ and Cs + [TC] as counterions (10,11). [TC] is a spheroidal macrotricyclic tetramine hexaether (25) which forms a very stable complex with Cs+. 

In conclusion, it has been shown that use of cryptates for the anionic polymerization of heterocyclic monomers leatis to a tremendous increase of the rates of polymerization. There are two main causes to the higher reaction rates observed with cryptates. The first one is a suppression of the association between ion pairs in the non polar media, and the second one is the possibility of ion pairs dissociation into free ions in ethereal solvents like THP or THF. By this way, it has been possible to make detailed studies of the propagation reaction for propylene sulfide, ethylene oxide, and cycloslloxanes. 

A review is given on the kinetics of the anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate and tert.-butyl methacrylate in tetrahydrofuran and 1,2-dimethoxy-ethane, including major results of the author s laboratory. The Arrhenius plots for the propagation reaction+are linear and independent of the counterion (i.e. Na, Cs). The results are discussed assuming the active centre to be a contact ion pair with an enolate-like anion the counterion thus exhibiting little influence on the reactivity of the carbanion. 

On one hand, they increase the reaction rate due to an electrophilic assistance for the epoxy ring opening and, on the other, lower the reactivity of the alcoxy anion owing to its solvation and the decrease of its nucleophility. Positive, neutral or even negative effects of the alcohol additives on the reaction rate are governed by the relationship between these two factors. The chain propagation reaction mechanism itself remains trimolecular. 

When a mixture of styrene and 1,3-butadiene (or isoprene) undergoes lithium-initiated anionic polymerization in hydrocarbon solution, the diene polymerizes first. It is unexpected, since styrene when polymerized alone, is more reactive than, for example, 1,3-butadiene. The explanation is based on the differences of the rates of the four possible propagation reactions the rate of the reaction of the styryl chain end with butadiene (crossover rate) is much faster than the those of the other three reactions484,485 (styryl with styrene, butadienyl with butadiene or styrene). This means that the styryl chain end reacts preferentially with butadiene. 

Only free anionic chain ends are involved in the propagation reaction in the high dielectric-constant solvents. 

Reaction 4 is favored by the strong electron affinity of nitroethylene (30). The carbanion may be formed by ion-molecule reaction between the anion radicals and the nitroethlene molecules (reaction 5), to which the latter add successively, and polymerization proceeds by anionic propagation (reaction 6)... 

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