Ring-opening polymerization lactams

Sebenda, J., Anionic Ring-Opening Polymerization Lactams, Chap. 35 in Comprehensive Polymer Science, Vol. 3, G. C. Eastmond, A. Ledwith, S. Russo, and P. Sigwalt, eds., Pergamon Press, London, 1989. 

We conclude this section by citing some examples of ring-opening polymerizations. Table 5.9 lists several examples of ring-opening polymerizations. In addition to the reactions listed, we recall the polymerizations of lactones and lactams exemplified by equations in Table 5.3 and 5.4, respectively. 

The concentration of the lactam in the final product is determined by (3.11). Cyclic dimers can also form, and these also take part in the polymerization12 the reactions are acid catalyzed. The kinetics of this ring-opening polymerization with the three reactions in (3.10)—(3.12) is complex. The reaction rate constants and equilibrium constants have been described by several authors,5 6,8,12 28 and more pragmatic approaches for describing the reaction kinetics have also been given.28,31,33... 

Cyclic esters, ring-opening polymerization of, 85-87 Cyclic lactams, 174 Cyclic oligoesters, 31 Cyclic oligomers, 63, 542 formation of, 39... 

K. Hashimoto, Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactams. Living Anionic Polymerization and Its Applications , Prog. Polym. Sci. 2000, 25, 1411-1462. 

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. 

The synthesis of polyamides follows a different route from that of polyesters. Although several different polymerization reactions are possible, polyamides are usually produced either by direct amidation of a diacid with a diamine or the self-amidation of an amino acid. The polymerization of amino acids is not as useful because of a greater tendency toward cycliza-tion (Sec. 2-5b). Ring-opening polymerization of lactams is also employed to synthesize polyamides (Chap. 7). Poly(hexamethylene adipamde) [IUPAC poly(iminohexanedioylimi-nohexane-l,6-diyl) or poly(iminoadipoyliminohexane-l,6-diyl)], also referred to as nylon 6/6, is synthesized from hexamethylene diamine and adipic acid [Zimmerman, 1988 Zimmerman and Kohan, 2001]. A stoichiometric balance of amine and carboxyl groups is readily obtained by the preliminary formation of a 1 1 ammonium salt (XU ) in aqueous solution at a concentration of 50%. The salt is often referred to as a nylon salt. Stoichiometric... 

In addition to step and chain polymerizations, another mode of polymerization is of importance. This is the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic monomers such as cyclic ethers, acetals, amides (lactams), esters (lactones), and siloxanes. Ring-opening polymerization is of commercial interest in a number of systems, including the polymerizations of ethylene oxide... 

Hydrolytic polymerization of e-caprolactam to form nylon 6 (Sec. 2-8f) is carried out commercially in both batch and continuous processes by heating the monomer in the presence of 5-10% water to temperatures of 250-270°C for periods of 12 h to more than 24 h [Anton and Baird, 2002 Zimmerman, 1988]. Several equilibria are involved in the polymerization [Bertalan et al., 1984 Sekiguchi, 1984]. These are hydrolysis of the lactam to e-amino-caproic acid (Eq. 7-56), step polymerization of the amino acid with itself (Eq. 7-57), and initiation of ring-opening polymerization of lactam by the amino acid. The amino acid is... 

The overall rate of conversion of e-caprolactam to polymer is higher than the polymerization rate of e-aminocaproic acid by more than an order of magnitude [Hermans et al., 1958, I960]. Step polymerization of e-aminocaproic acid with itself (Eq. 7-57) accounts for only a few percent of the total polymerization of e-caprolactam. Ring-opening polymerization (Eq. 7-58) is the overwhelming route for polymer formation. Polymerization is acid-catalyzed as indicated by the observations that amines and sodium e-aminocaproate are poor initiators in the absence of water and the polymerization rate in the presence of water is first-order in lactam and second-order in COOH end groups [Majury, 1958]. 

Sekiguchi, H., Lactams and Cyclic Imides, Chap. 12 in Ring-Opening Polymerization, Vol. 2, K. J. Ivin and T. Saegusa, eds., Elsevier, London, 1984. 

Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Amides (Lactams)... 

It has become the custom to name linear aliphatic polyamides according to the number of carbon atoms of the diamine component (first named) and of the dicarboxylic acid. Thus, the condensation polymer from hexamethylenedi-amine and adipic acid is called polyamide-6,6 (or Nylon-6,6), while the corresponding polymer from hexamethylenediamine and sebacoic acid is called polyamide-6,10 (Nylon-6,10). Polyamides resulting from the polycondensation of an aminocarboxylic acid or from ring-opening polymerization of lactams are indicated by a single number thus polyamide-6 (Nylon-6) is the polymer from c-aminocaproic acid or from e-caprolactam. 

A chiral p-polyamide 83 of the Nylon 3 type was also synthesized [68, 69] by Galbis et al. by ring-opening polymerization of the p-lactam derived from 3-amino-3-deoxy-2,4,5,6-tetra-(9-methyl-D-altronic acid. 

Some other chiral Nylon 3 analogs have also been prepared by the same authors applying ring-opening polymerization of chiral p-lactams 84 derived from D-glyc-eraldehyde [70,71], The enantiomerically pure (2R,3R) and the racemic (2R,3R and 2S,3S) p-polyamides were obtained, and their properties compared. 

Chemistry of Anionic Ring Opening Polymerization of Lactams. 8... 

Anionic ring opening polymerization of lactams to generate polyamides has been studied quite extensively by Sebenda [8-10], Sekiguchi [11], and Wichterle [12-13], among others, in academia, and by Gabbert and Hedrick [14] and by us [23-25] in industry. By far, caprolactam is the most studied lactam and the nylon 6 prepared by this route compares favorably in properties with that prepared by conventional hydrolytic polymerization. 

For sodium/hexamethylene-l,6-bis-carbamidocaprolactam system, Sibal et al. [64] found the value of the constant k in Equation 1.4 to be 17.5. Note that the values of the constant k in Equation 1.4 that defines the relative complex viscosity rise during anionic ring opening polymerization of caprolactam are comparable for both caprolactam-magnesium-bromide/isophthaloyl-bis-caprolactam and sodium/hexamethylene-l,6-bis-carbamidocapro-lactam as the catalyst/initiator systems even though the kinetic constants for anionic polymerization for these systems are extremely different (see Table 1.2). 

The condensation polymers (105) have been prepared (80JOC5325) by ring-opening polymerization of bicyclic lactam (101), the urethanes (102) and (103) and urea (104 Scheme 28). The polymerizability of these monomers, compared with the inertness of isomers (106)... 

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. 

The second type of monomer for step-growth polymerization contains two different functional groups. Examples in this category include hydroxy acids such as lactic acid (or hydroxy esters [Equations 1-3]), and amino acids. A third type includes cyclic monomers such as lactones, lactams, and cyclic ethers. Cyclic monomers polymerize by ring-opening polymerization. Some, as we said, proceed by step-growth and some by chain-growth mechanisms. 

This type of polymerization is specific for ring-opening polymerization, and it has already been mentioned several times (in Chap. 1, Sect. 9.3 and Chap. 4, Sects. 2.2 and 2.3). Propagation of lactams mostly proceeds by a system of consecutive reversible reactions... 

Polymerization of oxirane (and of its derivatives) by the mechanism of activated monomer is so far exclusively cationic and can be represented by schemes (27) and (28) of Chap. 4. In contrast to the ring-opening polymerization of lactams, both the classical and the activated monomer mechanisms are operating in this case. Conditions can be found where one or the other mechanism predominates [339]. 

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