Vinylpyridines, polymerization stereochemistry

VinylpyridineS. The stereochemistry of anionic polymerization of 2-vinylpyridine is predominantly isotactic for most polymerization conditions as shown by the data in Table 14 (166). The coordination of the penultimate psrridyl nitrogen with the magnesium ester enolate at the chain end has been invoked to... 

Soum and Fontanille report that di-s-butyl magnesium generates living polymer from 2-vinylpyridine without the involvement of the side-reactions that afflict the polymerization initiated by alkali metal alkyls the resulting polymer has an isotacticity index of 0.9. Arai et al. have synthesized styrene-butadiene-4-vinylpyridine triblock copolymers. Hogen-Esch et a/. have continued their study of the stereochemistry of the anionic polymerization of 2-vinylpyridine in THF solution. Oligomers were synthesized by addition of alkali salts of 2-ethylpyridine to 2-vinylpyridine termination was effected by reaction with methyl iodide. Highly isotactic products were obtained with U and Na as counterions but with K or Rb there was no stereoselection. Epimerization resulted in the expected statistical mixtures of stereoisomers and it was concluded that stereoselection is kinetically controlled. 

---