Structure syndiotactic

In this section, various types of topochemical behaviour such as the even-numbered degree of polymerization mechanism, topochemical induction into the syndiotactic structure, stereo- and enantio-selective reactions, and the formation of highly strained cyclophanes are described. 

From the viewpoint of synthetic polymer chemistry, although the formation of stereospecific polymers (isotactic and syndiotactic) is very popular, the present polymer is the first example having a double syndiotactic structure. In ad tion, the polymer consists of an alternating zigzag-linear main chain structure. 

The photochemical behaviour of 7 OEt is the first example in which the reaction of achiral molecules in an achiral crystal packing does not occur at random but stereospecifically, resulting in a syndiotactic structure. As no external chiral catalyst exists in the reaction, the above result is a unique type of topochemical induction , which is initiated by chance in the formation of the first cyclobutane ring, but followed by syndiotactic cyclobutane formation due to steric repulsions in the crystal cavity. That is, the syndiotactic structure is evolved under moderate control of the reacting crystal lattice. 

In the syndiotactic structure the substituent groups alternate regularly above and below the plane of the main chain. 

A fundamental characteristic of isotactic polymers is the presence of translational symmetry with periodicity equal to a single monomer unit In the representation 4 and 5 successive monomer units can be superimposed by simple translation (30-32). In a syndiotactic structure this superimposition is not possible for two successive groups. The corresponding symmetry operator, if one... 

Several other types of monomers are capable of yielding stereoisomeric polymer structures. Ordered structures are possible in the polymerization of carbonyl monomers (RCHO and RCOR ) and the ring-opening polymerizations of certain monomers. Thus, for example, the polymers from acetaldehyde and propylene oxide can have isotactic and syndiotactic structures as shown in Figs. 8-3 and 8-4. 

The all-trans-all-isotactic and all-trans-all-syndiotactic structures for the 1,4-polymerization of 1,3-pentadiene are shown in Fig. 8-6. In naming polymers with both types of stereoisomerism, that due to cis-trans isomerism is named first unless it is indicated after the prefix poly. Thus, the all-trans-all-isotactic polymer is named as transisotactic l,4-poly(l,3-penta-diene) or isotactic poly( -3-methylbut-l-ene-l,4-diyl). 

The sp3 stereocenter (i.e., C ) in XII is chirotopic, like the case of poly(propylene oxide), since the first couple of atoms of the two chain segments are considerably different. The isotactic structures are optically active while the syndiotactic structures are not optically active. 

The first reported instance of stereoselective polymerization was probably the cationic polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether in 1947 [Schildknecht et al., 1947]. A semicrystalline polymer was obtained when the reaction was carried out at —80 to —60°C using boron tri-fluoride etherate as the initiator with propane as the solvent. The full significance of the polymerization was not realized at the time as the crystallinity was attributed to a syndiotactic structure. X-Ray diffraction in 1956 indicated that the polymer was isotactic [Natta et al., 1956a,b], (NMR would have easily detected the isotactic structure, but NMR was not a routine tool in 1947.)... 

Poly a-methyl styrene is also reported to have a predominantly syndiotactic structure as prepared with butyllithium in cyclohexane (11). Sakurada and co-workers (90) have suggested that there is the possibility of error in the N. M. R. band assignments and that the polymer may be predominantly isotactic. It is difficult to assess the validity of this claim without details of the crystallization of the supposedly isotactic polymer. 

The formation of syndiotactic polymethylmethacrylate is the result of the prefered chain configuration in the free anionic polymerization, similar to the formation of syndiotactic structure by the free radical polymerization of methylmethacrylate. Bawn, James and North (77)... 

The use of more anionic catalysts gave the highly anionic system which produced syndiotactic structures. The ionic requirements of this balance depend on the electron attracting effect of the carbonyl substituent at the propagating end of the double bond. These results are summarized in Fig. 4. 

The polymerization of butadiene to 1.2 polymers with anionic Ziegler type catalysts has been studied by Natta and co-workers (46). They have shown that isotactic 1.2-polybutadiene can be produced by the use of catalysts which are made up of components which have basic oxygen and nitrogen structures such as triethylaluminum with cobalt acetylacetonate or with chromium acetylacetonate. Natta and co-workers have shown that either syndiotactic or isotactic structures are produced depending on the ratio of aluminum to chromium. Syndiotactic structures are obtained at low aluminum to chromium ratios while isotactic polybutadiene is obtained at high ratios. The basic catalyst component is characteristic of syndiotactic catalysts. Natta, Porri, Zanini and Fiore (47) have also produced 1.2 polybutadiene using... 

In all of the above discussions we have treated only the monomers with carbon-carbon double-bonds. It is probable that polymers of non-oleftnic monomers such as polypropylene oxide (103, 104, 105) poly-ethylidene (106, 107, 108, 109) and polyaldehydes (110, 111) polymerize to isotactic structures by the same mechanism. The same correlation of ionicity of the catalysts with the isotactic structures and syndiotactic structures should also be possible. 

After the demonstrations of preparation of stereoregular polymers having novel properties by means of special ionic methods, die possibilities of free radical methods were examined extensively. It must be concluded that in free radical systems the structures of homopolymers and copolymers can be little influenced by specific catalysts and other reaction conditions, but are determined largely by monomer structure. This is consistent with the relative uniformity of comonomer reactivity ratios in radical copolymerizations. However, it has been found possible to obtain somewhat more syndiotactic structure, dldl. than normally obtained by radical reactions, at low temperatures and by selecting solvents. Examples are polyvinyl chlorides of higher than usual crystallinity from polymerizations at low temperature e.g.. —50°C under ultraviolet light... 

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