Styrenic monomer, boron-containing

The syntheses of a homopolymer and a copolymer (68) (Fig. 44) of the boron-containing styrenic monomer, 5-benzyl-2-phenyl-5-(4-vinylbenzyl)-[l,3,3]-dioxaborinane with styrene have been achieved.92 A similar monomer without boron... 

There are a few examples of polymers based on vinylbenzofurans. Vinyldibenzofuran 324 has been patented for use in copolymer formulations with other vinyl arenes, used to prepare light-emitting devices <2004USP6803124>. Benzofuran 325 was developed as one of four polymerizable monomers that contain a built-in antioxidant. The polymerization process was transition metal catalyzed <2003MM8346>. Benzofuran 326 also contains the styrene substructure, but there are few examples of its polymerization. Poly(2,3-benzofuran) films were synthesized by anodic oxidation on stainless steel in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate. The films had good thermal stability and conductivity of lO Scm <2005MI1654>. 

Toluene can be reached with methanol over a type X zeolite containing cesium and boron to produce a styrene and ethylbenzene mixture that can be further processed to specification styrene monomer. However, we do not anticipate this process developing in the near future because at present styrene monomer capacity based on the traditional feedstocks of ethylene and benzene at current lower feedstock costs. 

Kobayashi et al. developed chiral Lewis acids derived from A -benzyldiphenylproli-nol and boron tribromide and used these successfully as catalysts in enantioselective Diels-Alder reactions [89]. The corresponding polymeric catalyst 71 was prepared and used for the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene with methacrolein [90]. Different polymeric catalysts 72, 73, 74 were prepared from supported chiral amino alcohols and diols fimctionalized with boron, aluminum and titanium [88,90]. In these polymers copolymerization of styrene with a chiral auxiliary containing two polymerizable groups is a new approach to the preparation of crosslinked chiral polymeric ligands. This chiral monomer unit acts as chiral ligand and as a crosslink. 

Monomers with electron-rich double bonds produce one-to-one copolymers with monomers having electron-poor double bonds in reaction systems that also contain certain Lewis acids. These latter are halides or alkyl halides of nontransition metal elements, including AlCb, ZnCh, SnCL, BF3, AI(CH2CH3)Cl2, alkyl boron halides, and other compounds. The acceptor monomer generally has a cyano or carbonyl group conjugated to a vinyl double bond. Examples are acrylic and methacrylic acids and their esters, acrylonitrile, vinyl ketones, maleic anydride, fumaric esters, vinylidene cyanide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. The variety of donor molecules is large and includes various olefins, styrene, isoprene, vinyl halides and esters, vinylidene halides, and allyl monomers [30]. 

The polymerization of cydic disulfides to polydisulfides has been reported in the 1940s and 1950s. In some cases the polymerizations occur spontaneously. Tobolsky et reported that l-oxa-4,5-dithiacycloheptane and l,3-dioxa-6,7-dithiacyclononane are polymerized by cationic initiators such as sulfuric acid or boron trifluoride. Davis and Fettes repotted the anionic polymerization of various cyclic disulfides. In the same period it was also described that cyclic disulfides can copolymetize with vinyl monomers such as styrene and butyl acrylate with AIBN as initiator. That the incorporation of the disulfide was due to copolymerization and not by chain transfer was established by comparing the thermal polymerization of styrene in the presence of dibutyl disulfide and in the presence of l-oxa-4,5-dithiacycloheptane. In the first case, the polymer contained 2 sulfur atoms per macromolecule as a result of transfer reactions and in the second case 4-20 sulfur atoms depending on the ratio of monomers. 

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