Random copolymers monomer reactivity

Most dispersion polymerizations in C02, including the monomers methyl methacrylate, styrene, and vinyl acetate, have been summarized elsewhere (Canelas and DeSimone, 1997b Kendall et al., 1999) and will not be covered in this chapter. In a dispersion polymerization, the insoluble polymer is sterically stabilized as colloidal polymer particles by the surfactant that is adsorbed or chemically grafted to the particles. Effective surfactants in the dispersion polymerizations include C02-soluble homopolymers, block and random copolymers, and reactive macromonomers. Polymeric surfactants for C02 have been designed by combining C02-soluble (C02-philic) polymers, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or PFOA, with C02-insoluble (C02-phobic) polymers, such as hydrophilic or lipophilic polymers (Betts et al., 1996, 1998 Guan and DeSimone, 1994). Several advances in C02-based dispersion polymerizations will be reviewed in the following section. 

GopolymeriZation Initiators. The copolymerization of styrene and dienes in hydrocarbon solution with alkyUithium initiators produces a tapered block copolymer stmcture because of the large differences in monomer reactivity ratios for styrene (r < 0.1) and dienes (r > 10) (1,33,34). In order to obtain random copolymers of styrene and dienes, it is necessary to either add small amounts of a Lewis base such as tetrahydrofuran or an alkaU metal alkoxide (MtOR, where Mt = Na, K, Rb, or Cs). In contrast to Lewis bases which promote formation of undesirable vinyl microstmcture in diene polymerizations (57), the addition of small amounts of an alkaU metal alkoxide such as potassium amyloxide ([ROK]/[Li] = 0.08) is sufficient to promote random copolymerization of styrene and diene without producing significant increases in the amount of vinyl microstmcture (58,59). 

VEs do not readily enter into copolymerization by simple cationic polymerization techniques instead, they can be mixed randomly or in blocks with the aid of living polymerization methods. This is on account of the differences in reactivity, resulting in significant rate differentials. Consequendy, reactivity ratios must be taken into account if random copolymers, instead of mixtures of homopolymers, are to be obtained by standard cationic polymeriza tion (50,51). Table 5 illustrates this situation for butyl vinyl ether (BVE) copolymerized with other VEs. The rate constants of polymerization (kp) can differ by one or two orders of magnitude, resulting in homopolymerization of each monomer or incorporation of the faster monomer, followed by the slower (assuming no chain transfer). 

Because of the great differences in the properties between vinyl polymers and heterochain polymers, copolymerization of a vinyl monomer and a cyclic monomer seems very intersting. Yet, little success has been achieved in the formation of random copolymers because the reactivities are very different between vinyl monomers and cyclic monomers. However, recent progress in the field of organic chemistry has suggested many possibilities especially for the activation of monomers and for the modification of the reactivity of the propagating species. The probability of successful synthesis of random copolymers has thus greatly increased. 

Another important consequence of the limitations concerning cross-addition is that anionic polymerization is not suited for the synthesis of random copolymers. If a mixture of two anionically polymerizable monomers is reacted with an initiator, the most electrophilic monomer will polymerize while the other is left almost untouched 30). In other words, a general feature of anionic binary copolymerization is that one of the reactivity ratios is extremely high while the other is close to zero. 

The value of the reachvity rahos is crihcal in determining the composition of the copolymer. If the reactivity raho is greater than 1, the radical prefers to react with chains having the same kind of terminal unit, e.g. A- with A. On the other hand, if the reactivity ratio is less than 1, the monomer prefers to react with chains which end in the other kind of monomer. In the special case that r r2 = 1, the reaction is described as ideal copolymerisation because it results in a truly random copolymer whose composition is the same as the composition of the reaction mixture from which polymerisation took place. 

If the "polymer" component is a random copolymer, the number and weight average molecular weights is entered (lines 870 and 890). The mole fraction and monomer weight of the reactive monomer in the polymer is also entered (lines 910 and 960). The calculations assume that the reactive and nonreactive monomers have the same weight. 

The type of copolymer formed during step growth polymerization depends on the reactivity of the functional groups and the time of introduction of the comonomer. A random copolymer forms when equal concentrations of equally reactive monomers polymerize. The composition of the copolymer, then, will be the same as the composition of the reactants prior to polymerization. When the reactivities of the monomers-differ, the more highly reactive monomer reacts first, creating a block consisting predominandy of one monomer in the chain the lower reactivity monomer is added later. This assumes that there is no chain transfer and no monofunctional monomer present. If either of these conditions were to exist,... 

It is highly unlikely that the reactivities of the various monomers would be such as to yield either block or alternating copolymes. The quantitative dependence of copolymer composition on monomer reactivities has been described [Korshak et al., 1976 Mackey et al., 1978 Russell et al., 1981]. The treatment is the same as that described in Chap. 6 for chain copolymerization (Secs. 6-2 and 6-5). The overall composition of the copolymer obtained in a step polymerization will almost always be the same as the composition of the monomer mixture since these reactions are carried out to essentially 100% conversion (a necessity for obtaining high-molecular-weight polymer). Further, for step copolymerizations of monomer mixtures such as in Eq. 2-192 one often observes the formation of random copolymers. This occurs either because there are no differences in the reactivities of the various monomers or the polymerization proceeds under reaction conditions where there is extensive interchange (Sec. 2-7c). The use of only one diacid or one diamine would produce a variation on the copolymer structure with either R = R" or R = R " [Jackson and Morris, 1988]. 

When = 2 = 1, the two monomers show equal reactivities toward both propagating species. The copolymer composition is the same as the comonomer feed with a random placement of the two monomers along the copolymer chain. Such behavior is referred to as random or Bemoullian. For the case where the two monomer reactivity ratios are different, that is, > 1 and r2 < 1 or U < 1 and r2 > 1, one of the monomers is more reactive than the other toward both propagating species. The copolymer will contain a larger proportion of the more reactive monomer in random placement. 

These results suggest that the reaction conditions for the syntheses of PCEVE-NPVE and PCEVE-NNVE can be accomplished by the reactions of PCVE with any ratio of potassium cinnamate and PNP or PNN in one pot using a phase transfer catalyst. In addition, it is to be expected that PCEVE-NPVE and PCEVE-NNVE prepared from the reactions of PCVE have the same degree of polymerization if no side reactions occur during the substitution reactions. It is also expected that these copolymers are more random compared to the copolymers prepared from the cationic copolymerizations of the monomers, because the former is not affected by the monomer reactivity ratios. 

Continued oxidation of this mixture should yield a random copolymer, which was the result when method b was used. When DMP was added to growing DPP polymer, the solution viscosity did not drop but continued to increase at a faster rate than before the reactive DMP monomer was added. If redistribution between DMP and DPP homopolymer occurred, the rate was small compared with the rate of polymer growth. This at least allows the possibility of producing block copolymers, the result obtained when procedure c was followed. The effect of varia-... 

Redistribution in Polymer Coupling. Monomer-polymer redistribution occurs most easily when the monomeric phenol and the phenol of the polymer are identical or, at least, very similar in reactivity (2). The homopolymers of DMP and MPP obviously redistribute very rapidly with either of the two monomers, so that sequential oxidation of DMP and MPP can produce only random copolymer. The redistribution reaction and its relation to the overall polymerization mechanism have been the subject of many previous investigations (2, 10, 13, 14), but the extraordinary facility of redistribution in the DMP-MPP system leads to results that could not be observed in other systems examined. 

The difference in reactivity of MPP and DPP in homopolymerization at 25°C is almost as great as that between DMP and DPP. It might therefore be expected that at this temperature, the behavior of MPP and DPP in copolymerization should resemble that of DMP and DPP— that is, simultaneous oxidation of both monomers or oxidation first of the less reactive DPP, followed by addition and oxidation of MPP, should yield random copolymer, while addition of MPP to growing DPP should form a block copolymer. At 60°C, however, MPP and DPP are of comparable reactivity, like DMP and MPP at 25° C, and perhaps only random copolymers could be obtained, no matter what procedure is followed. These expectations have been partially realized. The MPP-DPP copolymerization is more complex than either of the other two systems examined, with four distinguishable types of copolymer produced under different conditions. 

At 25°C, the products were largely those expected on the basis of previous work with the DMP-DPP system. Oxidation of the less reactive monomer, MPP, in the presence of DPP homopolymer yielded random copolymers block copolymers were obtained when this order was reversed. 

There are, however, other possible routes to block copolymers successive addition of units of the reactive monomer to the polymer already present, Reaction 5 termination reactions between polymer molecules —side reactions of unknown nature lead to loss of reactive hydroxyl groups (18) possible reactions are ortho carbon-carbon coupling followed by dimerization, addition of amine or water to the ketal intermediate, etc. Block copolymers might even be formed by polymer-polymer redistribution assuming that such redistribution in polymers of greatly different reactivities (such as DMP and DPP), takes place almost exclusively in one type of polymer sequence—that is, that bond scission in a "mixed ketal such as IV occurs always in the same direction—to produce the aryloxy radical corresponding to the more reactive monomer. None of these possible sources of block copolymer can be ruled out on the basis of available evidence. All could produce homopolymer in addition to block copolymer. All of the polymers produced in this work, except for those characterized as completely random copolymers, probably contained at least small amount of one or both homopolymers. 

Oxidation of Mixtures of Monomers. The method most likely to yield random copolymers of DMP and DPP is the simultaneous oxidation of a mixture of the two phenols, although this procedure may present problems because of the great difference in reactivity of the two phenols. The production of high molecular weight homopolymer from DPP is reported to require both a very active catalyst, such as tetramethylbutane-diamine-cuprous bromide, and high temperature, conditions which favor carbon-carbon coupling and diphenoquinone formation (Reaction 2) from DMP (II). With the less active pyridine-cuprous chloride catalyst at 25 °C the rate of reaction of DMP, as measured by the rate of oxygen... 

These redistribution reactions of polymer molecules with other polymer molecules as well as with monomer, continue throughout the polymerization and should result in randomization of the polymer. Inasmuch as dimethylphenol is among the most reactive and diphenylphenol the least reactive of the phenols which have been oxidized successfully to linear high polymers, it appears likely that oxidation of any mixture of phenols will yield random copolymers. 

A convenient method for avoiding the problems caused by the large difference in reactivity of the two monomers is by using preformed blocks—i.e., by preparing and isolating the homopolymer under conditions most suitable for the polymerization of the particular monomer and then oxidizing a mixture of the polymer with the second monomer. When this procedure was followed, oxidation of DMP polymer with DPP always yielded random copolymer, regardless of the type of catalyst used, while oxidation of DPP polymer with DMP yielded only block copolymers. 

When the product of monomer relative reactivity ratios is approximately one r x r2 = 1), the last inserted monomeric unit in the chain does not influence the next monomer incorporation and Bernoullian statistics govern the formation of a random copolymer. When this product tends to zero (r xr2 = 0), there is some influence from the last inserted monomeric unit (when first-order Markovian statistics operate), or from the penultimate inserted monomeric units (when second-order Markovian statistics operate), and an alternating copolymer formation is favoured in this case. Finally, when the product of the reactivity ratios is greater than one (r x r2 > 1), there is a tendency for the comonomers to form long segments and block copolymer formation predominates (or even homopolymer formation can take place) [448],... 

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