Reaction mechanisms, polymers ring-opening polymerization

Under acidic conditions, furfuryl alcohol polymerizes to black polymers, which eventually become crosslinked and insoluble in the reaction medium. The reaction can be very violent and extreme care must be taken when furfuryl alcohol is mixed with any strong Lewis acid or Brn nstad acid. Copolymer resins are formed with phenoHc compounds, formaldehyde and/or other aldehydes. In dilute aqueous acid, the predominant reaction is a ring opening hydrolysis to form levulinic acid [123-76-2] (52). In acidic alcohoHc media, levulinic esters are formed. The mechanism for this unusual reaction in which the hydroxymethyl group of furfuryl alcohol is converted to the terminal methyl group of levulinic acid has recendy been elucidated (53). 

Thus, confirmation of whether the product obtained in an attempted reaction in a true random copolymer is important to clarify the mechanism of the propagation reaction and to correlate structure and reactivity in ring-opening polymerizations. Considering that apparent copolymers may be formed by reactions other than copdymerization, for example, by ionic grafting or by combination of polymer chains, characterization of cross-sequences appears to be one of the best ways to check the formation of random copolymers. 

The polymerization of enantiomerically pure monomers presents no relevant stereochemical problems when the asymmetric carbon atom is not involved in the reaction and no new centers of stereoisomerism are formed. This is the case, for example, in polycondensation of chiral diacids with diamines (274) and in ring-opening polymerization of substituted lactams (275) and A -carboxyanhy-drides of a-amino acids (276). Interest here lies mainly in the properties of the polymer. Accidental racemization may sometimes occur but is not necessarily related to the mechanism of polymerization. 

Many of the common condensation polymers are listed in Table 1-1. In all instances the polymerization reactions shown are those proceeding by the step polymerization mechanism. This chapter will consider the characteristics of step polymerization in detail. The synthesis of condensation polymers by ring-opening polymerization will be subsequently treated in Chap. 7. A number of different chemical reactions may be used to synthesize polymeric materials by step polymerization. These include esterification, amidation, the formation of urethanes, aromatic substitution, and others. Polymerization usually proceeds by the reactions between two different functional groups, for example, hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, or isocyanate and hydroxyl groups. 

The third major method for achieving difunctionality involves the ring-opening polymerization of a cyclic monomer, typified for example by the synthesis of polyamides from cyclic lactams. Reactions of this type proceed by chain-reaction mechanisms but yield polymers more typical of step-reactions, in that they contain functional groups within the chain. 

Anionic ring-opening polymerization of l,2,3,4-tetramethyl-l,2,3,4-tetraphenylcyclo-tetrasilane is quite effectively initiated by butyllithium or silyl potassium initiators. The process resembles the anionic polymerization of other monomers where solvent effects play an important role. In THF, the reaction takes place very rapidly but mainly cyclic live- and six-membered oligomers are formed. Polymerization is very slow in nonpolar media (toluene, benzene) however, reactions are accelerated by the addition of small amounts of THF or crown ethers. The stereochemical control leading to the formation of syndiotactic, heterotactic or isotactic polymers is poor in all cases. In order to improve the stereoselectivity of the polymerization reaction, more sluggish initiators like silyl cuprates are very effective. A possible reaction mechanism is discussed elsewhere49,52. 

The results show that the presence of bulky substituent on a polymer chain may effectively inhibit the termination proceeding by this mechanism. The results presented at this point may be summarized as follows chain transfer to polymer is a general feature of cationic ring-opening polymerization although for different systems the contribution of this reaction may vary only in some systems this process results in termination (These systems involve, e.g., cyclic amines (3- and 4-membered) and cyclic sulfides (3- and 4-membered) and the contribution of the reaction is reduced for substituted chains. 

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