Cyclolinear polysiloxanes. I. Synthesis and characterization

The synthesis and characterization of two novel cyclic siloxanes, diacetoxydiethyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane and diacetoxytriethylpentamethylcyclopentasiloxane, and cyclolinear polymers synthesized from these monomers are presented. The cyclic siloxanes were synthesized from tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane and pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane, respectively, by acetylation followed by ethylation. The cyclic monomers were characterized with ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Subsequently, the cyclic siloxanes were self‐condensed into cyclolinear polysiloxanes and cocondensed (extended) with silanol‐terminated polydimethylsiloxane into high‐molecular‐weight polymers containing cyclic units withlinearpolydimethylsiloxane spacers (extended cyclolinear polysiloxanes). The molecular weights of both the cyclolinear polysiloxanes and extended cyclolinear polysiloxanes were determined. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4039?4052, 2006     

Amphiphilic membranes crosslinked and reinforced by POSS

This article concerns the synthesis and characterization of novel tricomponent amphiphilic membranes consisting of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments cocrosslinked and reinforced by octasilane polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (octasilane‐POSS) cages. Rapid and efficient network synthesis was effected by cocrosslinking diallyl‐telechelic PEG (A‐PEG‐A) and divinyl‐telechelic PDMS (V‐PDMS‐V) with pentamethylpentacyclosiloxane (D₅H), using Karstedt's catalyst in conjunction with Et₃N cocatalyst and water. Films were prepared by pouring charges in molds and crosslinking by heating at 60 °C for several hours. The films were characterized by sol fractions and equilibrium swelling both in hexane and water, extent of crosslinking, contact angle hysteresis, oxygen permeability, thermogravimetric analysis, and mechanical properties. The crosslinking of octasilane‐POSS achieved by the same catalyst system was studied in separate experiments. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4337–4352, 2004     

Potassium enolates of N,N‐dialkylamides as initiators of anionic polymerization

Stable potassium enolates of N,N‐diethylacetamide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylacetamide ( 1 )], N,N‐diethylpropionamide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylpropionamide ( 2 )], and N,N‐diethylisobutyramide [α‐potassio‐N,N‐diethylisobutyramide ( 3 )] were prepared by the proton abstraction of the corresponding N,N‐diethylamides with diphenylmethylpotassium (Ph₂CHK) or potassium naphthalenide in THF. The relative nucleophilicity of 1 – 3 was estimated to be in the order of 1 < 3 < 2 from the results of the alkylation reaction with methyl iodide. N,N‐diethylacetamide transferred its α‐proton to 2 quantitatively in THF at 0 °C, whereas no reaction occurred between N,N‐diethylisobutyramide and 2 ; this indicated the relative basicity to be 1 < 2 ～ 3 . Anionic polymerizations of N,N‐diethylacrylamide (DEA) and methyl methacrylate were quantitatively initiated with 2 in THF at ?78 °C, whereas the initiation efficiencies of 2 for styrene and 2‐vinylpyridine were about 2 and 67%, respectively. The initiation of DEA with 1 – 3 at ?78 or 0 °C in THF gave poly (DEA)s having broad molecular weight distributions (MWDs; M_w/M_n = 2) and ill‐controlled molecular weights. In contrast, poly(DEA)s of narrow MWDs (M_w/M_n < 1.2) and predicted M_n's were obtained with 2 in the presence of diethylzinc (Et₂Zn) at ?78 °C, whereas the initiations with 1 /Et₂Zn and 3 /Et₂Zn at ?78 °C resulted in poor control of the molecular weights. At the higher temperature of 0 °C, all the binary initiator systems ( 1 – 3 /Et₂Zn) induced controlled polymerizations of DEA in terms of the conversion, molecular weight, and MWD. The poly(DEA)s produced with 1 – 3 /Et₂Zn at 0 °C showed mr‐rich configurations (mr = 76–89%), as observed for the poly(DEA) generated with Ph₂CHK/Et₂Zn. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1260–1271, 2007     

Novel tricomponent membranes containing poly(ethylene glycol)/poly(pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) domains

The synthesis and characterization of novel tricomponent networks consisting of well‐defined poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) strands crosslinked and reinforced by poly(pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane) (PD₅) domains are described. Network synthesis occurred by dissolving α,ω‐diallyl PEG and α,ω‐divinyl PDMS prepolymers in a common solvent (toluene), introducing a stoichiometric excess of pentamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D₅H) to the charge, inducing the cohydrosilation of the prepolymers by Karstedt's catalyst and completing network formation by the addition of water. Water in the presence of the Pt‐based catalyst oxidizes the SiH groups of D₅H to SiOH functions that immediately polycondense and bring about crosslinking. The progress of cohydrosilation and polycondensation was followed by monitoring the disappearance of the SiH and SiOH functions by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Because cohydrosilation and polycondensation are essentially quantitative, overall network composition can be controlled by calculating the stoichiometry of the three network constituents. The very low quantities of extractable (sol) fractions corroborate efficient crosslinking. The networks swell in both water and hexanes. Differential scanning calorimetry showed three thermal transitions assigned, respectively, to PEG (melting temperature: 46–60 °C depending on composition), PDMS [glass‐transition temperature (T_g) = ～?121 °C], and PD₅ (T_g = ～?159 °C) and indicated a phase‐separated tricomponent nanoarchitecture. The low T_g of the PD₅ phase is unprecedented. The strength and elongation of PEG/PD₅/PDMS networks can be controlled by overall network composition. The synthesis of networks exhibiting sufficient mechanical properties (tensile stress: 2–5 MPa, elongation: 100–800%) for various possible applications has been demonstrated. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3093–3102, 2002     

Polyimide polydimethylsiloxane triblock copolymers for thin film composite gas separation membranes

This article demonstrates the successful fabrication of thin‐film‐composite (TFC) membranes containing well‐defined soft‐hard‐soft triblock copolymers. Based on “hard” polyimide (PI) and “soft” polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), these triblock copolymers (PDMS‐b‐PI‐b‐PDMS), were prepared via condensation polymerization, and end‐group allylic functionalization to prepare the polyimide component and subsequent “click” coupling with the soft azido functionalized PDMS component. The selective layer consisted of pure PDMS‐b‐PI‐b‐PDMS copolymers which were cast onto a precast crosslinked‐PDMS gutter layer which in turn was cast onto a porous polyacrylonitrile coated substrate. The TFC membranes' gas transport properties, primarily for the separation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from nitrogen (N₂), were determined at 35 °C and at a feed pressure of 2 atm. The TFC membranes showed improvements in gas permselectivity with increasing PDMS weight fraction. These results demonstrate the ability for glassy, hard polymer components to be coated onto otherwise incompatible surfaces of highly permeable soft TFC substrates through covalent coupling. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3372–3382     

PVA networks grafted with PDMS branches

We describe a simple and efficient synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) networks fitted with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) branches (PVA_netw‐g‐PDMS). The syntheses were achieved in two steps: (1) Grafting by urethane linking PDMS carrying ? NCO termini (PDMS‐NCO) onto PVA fitted with a few (～4) photoreactive acryl amide groups (PVA_AA), followed by (2) Photocrosslinking the PVA_AA‐g‐PDMS to PVA_netw‐g‐PDMS. The use of the binary N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone/tetrahydrofuran (NMP/THF, 67/33) solvent system enabled the thermodynamically unfavorable mixing of hydrophobic PDMS branches with hydrophilic PVA_AA backbones. The amphiphilic graft, PVA_AA‐g‐PDMS, was characterized by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and the final graft network, PVA_netw‐g‐PDMS, by FTIR spectroscopy, DSC, and equilibrium swelling. The grafting of sufficient volumes of PDMS branches onto PVA_AA yields cocontinuous hydrophilic/hydrophobic PVA/PDMS domains, whose existence was demonstrated by swelling in both water and hexanes. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5272–5277, 2009     

Modification of epoxy-novolac resins with polysiloxane containing nitrile functional groups: synthesis and characterization

Synthesis of the statistical epoxidized polycyanopropylmethylsiloxane-co-polydimethylsiloxanes (PCPMS-co-PDMS) has been demonstrated. The modified polysiloxanes were prepared via a two-step method; (1) the ring-opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄H), (2) hydrosilylation reaction of the polysiloxane prepolymers with allyl cyanide and allyl glycidyl ether. Molar ratios of D₄H and D₄ were varied to produce the modified polysiloxanes with differences in polarity. ¹H-NMR, ²⁹Si-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and FTIR were used to monitor the formation of the modified polysiloxanes and DSC was used to study their thermal behaviors (T_g, −118 to −68 °C). The use of the modified polysiloxanes as an elastomeric component in epoxy-novolac networks was also investigated. TEM and their transition temperatures suggested that the epoxy-novolac networks with high content of PDMS modifiers exhibited microphase separation. The fracture toughness properties of the networks with the polysiloxane modifiers were improved over the controls without polysiloxanes.     

Synthesis of highly isotactic poly(N,N‐diethylacrylamide) by anionic polymerization with grignard reagents and diethylzinc

N,N‐Dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and N,N‐diethylacrylamide (DEA) were polymerized with various Grignard reagents in tetrahydrofuran at −78 °C in the presence of diethylzinc (Et₂Zn). Highly isotactic poly(DEA) was produced in quantitative yield with tert‐butylmagnesium bromide and Et₂Zn, whereas atactic poly(DEA) was generated in the absence of Et₂Zn. No stereospecific polymerization of DMA proceeded with Grignard reagent in the presence of Et₂Zn. The highly isotactic poly(DEA) obtained was soluble in water and showed the characteristic coil–globule transition phenomenon. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4677–4685, 2000     

Multiaxial deformations of end‐linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks. III. Effect of entanglement density on strain‐energy density function

Strain‐energy density functions (W) of end‐linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks with different entanglement densities were estimated as a function of the first and second invariants I₁ and I₂ of Green's deformation tensor on the basis of the quasi‐equilibrium biaxial stress‐strain data. Entanglement densities in the PDMS networks were controlled by varying the precursor PDMS concentration (?₀) in end‐linking. The deduced functional form of W [W = C₁₀(I₁ ? 3) + C₀₁(I₂ ? 3) + C₁₁(I₁ ? 3)(I₂ ? 3) + C₂₀(I₁ ? 3)² + C₀₂(I₂ ? 3)²] is independent of the degree of dilution at network preparation. The contribution of each term in I₁ and I₂ to total energy depends on whether the precursor PDMS solution before end‐linking belongs to the concentrated regime ?₀ > ?_c where many entanglement couplings of precursor chains exist or the moderately concentrated regime ?₀ < ?_c where pronounced entanglement couplings of precursor chains are absent. These results suggest that the rubber elasticity of the end‐linked networks is significantly influenced by the entangled state of precursor chains before end‐linking, and the extra terms in the estimated W that are absent in the prediction of the classical rubber elasticity theories [W = C (I₁ ? 3)] mainly originate from the effect of trapped entanglements. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2780–2790, 2002     

Water‐swollen highly oxygen permeable membranes: Analytical technique and syntheses

A generally accepted method for the determination of high oxygen permeabilities (Dk >100 barrers) of water‐immersed membranes is unavailable. We designed and developed a generally applicable method, together with simple equipment, to measure the oxygen permeability up to Dk ～800 barrers of highly oxygen permeable membranes in contact with water. A theory of the methodology is also presented, giving particular attention to the boundary layer effect and the edge effect. The practical applicability of our technique is demonstrated by preparing and using highly oxygen permeable water‐logged membranes, such as polydimethylsiloxane and polysiloxane copolymers important for medicine. According to our measurements, the Dk's of polydimethylsiloxane, poly(dimethylsiloxane_0.80‐co‐diethylsiloxane_0.20), and poly(dimethylsiloxane_0.84‐co‐diphenylsiloxane_0.16) are 792 ± 26, 505 ± 10, and 249 ± 10 barrers, respectively. Evidently, the oxygen permeabilities of polysiloxanes are strongly reduced by substituting the ? OSiMe₂? repeat unit with the structurally similar ? OSiEt₂? and ? OSiPh₂? repeats. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3491–3501, 2005     

Preparation of high molecular weight polybenzoxazine prepolymers containing siloxane unites and properties of their thermosets

High‐molecular‐weight polybenzoxazine prepolymers containing polydimethylsiloane unit in the main‐chain have been synthesized from α,ω‐bis(aminopropyl)polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) (molecular weight = 248, 850, and 1622) and bisphenol‐A with formaldehyde. Moreover, another type of prepolymers was prepared using methylenedianiline (MDA) as codiamine with PDMS. The weight average molecular weight of the obtained prepolymers was estimated from size exclusion chromatography to be in the range of 8000–11,000. The chemical structures of the prepolymers were investigated by ¹H NMR and IR analyses. The prepolymers gave transparent free standing films by casting their dioxane solution. The prepolymer films after thermally cured up to 240 °C gave brown colored transparent and flexible polybenzoxazine films. Tensile test of the films revealed that the elongation at break increased with increasing the molecular weight of PDMS unit. Dynamic mechanical analysis of the thermosets showed that the T_gs were as high as 238–270 °C. The thermosets also revealed high thermal stability as evidenced by the 5% weight loss temperatures in the range of 324–384 °C from thermogravimetic analysis. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis of a novel hybrid liquid‐crystalline rod–coil diblock copolymer

A series of novel rod–coil diblock copolymers on the basis of mesogen‐jacketed liquid‐crystalline polymer were successfully prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization from the flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) macroinitiator. The hybrid diblock copolymers, poly{2,5‐bis[(4‐methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene}‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane, had number‐average molecular weights (M_n's) ranging from 9500 to 30,900 and relatively narrow polydispersities (≤1.34). The polymerization proceeded with first‐order kinetics. Data from differential scanning calorimetry validated the microphase separation of the diblock copolymers. All block copolymers exhibited thermotropic liquid‐crystalline behavior except for the one with M_n being 9500. Four liquid‐crystalline diblock copolymers with PDMS weight fractions of more than 18% had two distinctive glass‐transition temperatures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1799–1806, 2003     

A macromonomer approach to the synthesis of poly(1,1‐bis(ethoxycarbonyl)‐2‐vinyl cyclopropane‐graft‐dimethyl siloxane)

Poly(1,1‐bis(ethoxycarbonyl)‐2‐vinyl cyclopropane (ECVP)‐graft‐dimethyl siloxane) copolymers were prepared using a macromonomer approach. Poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) macromonomers were prepared by living anionic polymerization of cyclosiloxanes followed by sequential chain‐end capping with allyl chloroformate. These macromonomers were then copolymerized with ECVP. MALDI‐ToF mass spectrometry and ¹H NMR spectroscopy were used to show that the macromonomers had approximately 80% of the end groups functionalized with allyl carbonate groups. Gradient polymer elution chromatography showed that high yields of the graft copolymers were obtained, along with only small fractions of the PECVP and PDMS homopolymers. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the low glass transition temperature (T_g) of the PDMS component could be maintained in the graft copolymers. However, the T_g was a function of polymer composition and the polymers produced had T_gs that ranged from ?50 to ?120 °C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis of methyl methacrylate,styrene, and isobutylene multiblock copolymers using atom transfer and cationic polymerization

ABCBA‐type pentablock copolymers of methyl methacrylate, styrene, and isobutylene (IB) were prepared by the cationic polymerization of IB in the presence of the α,ω‐dichloro‐PS‐b‐PMMA‐b‐PS triblock copolymer [where PS is polystyrene and PMMA is poly(methyl methacrylate)] as a macroinitiator in conjunction with diethylaluminum chloride (Et₂AlCl) as a coinitiator. The macroinitiator was prepared by a two‐step copper‐based atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The reaction temperature, ?78 or ?25 °C, significantly affected the IB content in the resulting copolymers; a higher content was obtained at ?78 °C. The formation of the PIB‐b‐PS‐b‐PMMA‐b‐PS‐b‐PIB copolymers (where PIB is polyisobutylene), prepared at ?25 (20.3 mol % IB) or ?78 °C (61.3 mol % IB; rubbery material), with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions provided direct evidence of the presence of labile chlorine atoms at both ends of the macroinitiator capable of initiation of cationic polymerization of IB. One glass‐transition temperature (T_g), 104.5 °C, was observed for the aforementioned triblock copolymer, and the pentablock copolymer containing 61.3 mol % IB showed two well‐defined T_g's: ?73.0 °C for PIB and 95.6 °C for the PS–PMMA blocks. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3823–3830, 2005     

Preparation of three‐dimensional poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with movable cross‐linking

A pentamethylcyclotrisiloxane moiety was introduced into cyclic polystyrene (cPSt) and cyclic PDMS (cPDMS) to obtain noncovalent cross‐linking agents, D₃‐cPSt and D₃‐cPDMS, respectively. Anionic ring‐opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) in nitrobenzene was carried out in the presence of D₃‐cPSt to obtain a cloudy white PDMS gel as a precipitation. On the other hand, bulk copolymerization of D₃‐cPDMS with D₄ proceeded in a homogeneous state to give a colorless transparent PDMS gel in high yield. The formation of mechanically linked PDMS with movable cross‐linking was indicated by control experiment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5882–5890, 2009     

Anionic polymerization of N,N‐dialkylacrylamides containing alkoxysilyl groups in the presence of Lewis acids

With Ph₂CHK as an initiator, the anionic polymerization of N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triisopropoxysilylpropyl)acrylamide ( 4 ) and N‐propyl‐N‐(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl)acryl‐amide generated polymers with predicted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (MWDs) in the presence of Et₂Zn or Et₃B; however, the resulting polymers obtained in the absence of such Lewis acids had very broad MWDs. The results were ascribed to the coordination of the propagating anionic end to a relatively weak Lewis acid, in which the activity of the end anion was appropriately controlled for moderate polymerization without side reactions. A well‐defined diblock copolymer of 4 and N,N‐diethylacrylamide was also prepared with the binary initiating system of Ph₂CHK and Et₂Zn, whereas no such block copolymer was prepared by polymerization initiated with 1,1‐diphenyl‐3‐methylpentyllithium, as the propagating anion together with the lithium ion reacted with alkoxysilyl side groups on the poly( 4 ) backbone to produce grafted polymers with high molecular weights. The hydrolysis of the alkoxysilyl side groups of poly( 4 ) in acidic water yielded an insoluble gel. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2754‐2764, 2005     

Polysulfone ionomers functionalized with benzoyl(difluoromethylenephosphonic acid) side chains for proton‐conducting fuel‐cell membranes

Polysulfones carrying benzoyl(difluoromethylenephosphonic acid) side chains were prepared and investigated for use as proton‐conducting fuel‐cell membranes. In the first step, polysulfones were lithiated and reacted with methyl iodobenzoates to prepare p‐ and o‐iodobenzoyl polysulfones. Next, the phosphonated polysulfones were prepared via CuBr‐mediated cross‐coupling reactions between the iodinated polymer and [(diethoxyphosphinyl)difluoromethyl]zinc bromide. Finally, dealkylation with bromotrimethylsilane afforded highly acidic ? CF₂? PO₃H₂ derivatives. The replacement of the iodine atoms by ? CF₂? PO₃Et₂ units was almost quantitative in the case of o‐iodobenzoyl polysulfone. Membranes based on ionomers having 0.90 mmol of phosphonic acid units/g of dry polymer took up 6 wt % water when immersed at room temperature, and conductivities up to 5 mS cm^?1 at 100 °C were recorded. This level of conductivity was comparable to that reached by a membrane based on a sulfonated polysulfone having 0.86 mmol of sulfonic acid/g of dry polymer. Thermogravimetry revealed that the aryl? CF₂? PO₃H₂ arrangement decomposed at approximately 230 °C via cleavage of the C? P bond. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 269–283, 2007.     

Strain rate and temperature dependence of a nanoparticle‐filled poly(dimethylsiloxane) undergoing shear deformation

The mechanical properties in shear of unfilled and nanoparticle‐filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) networks are reported. The effect of silicate‐based nanoparticles on the mechanical response was studied as functions of rate and temperature using the time–temperature superposition principle. An apparent yielding phenomenon was observed in the filled polymer in spite of the more typical elastomeric behavior exhibited by the pure PDMS network. The time–temperature superposition principle was applied to capture the shear strain rate (10^?4–10^?1 s^?1) and temperature (?40 to 60°C) dependence of the stress response of the filled PDMS at different strains and at the yield point. A power‐law relationship was found to adequately describe the resulting master curves for yield stress in shear. Using a triangular shear displacement profile at 10^?2 s^?1, the effect of temperature (?20 to 80°C) on the recovery from a particularly pronounced Mullins effect was investigated as a function of rest time. Given adequate rest time (between 10 and 10² min), recovery was observed for the temperature range studied. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and in situ UV‐vis spectroelectrochemistry studies of Poly(N‐vinyl carbazole)/ Polydimethylsiloxane composite electrodes

Poly(N‐vinyl carbazole)/polydimethylsiloxane (PNVCz/PDMS) composite electrodes were prepared by electrochemical polymerization of NVCz monomer onto PDMS‐coated platinum (Pt) and glassy carbon (GC) electrode surfaces to investigate the influence of the insulating constituent, PDMS and process temperature on the capacitive performance of the coated layers. The electrochemical properties of the bilayer coatings were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and UV‐vis spectroelectrochemistry measurements. The low‐frequencies capacitance values of composite electrodes indicated that the capacitive behaviors of the composites decreased with increasing PDMS content (from 5.0 to 10.0; in wt/v%) in coating solutions at 25 °C, and with decreasing coating temperatures (from 25 °C to ? 15 °C) of PDMS and PNVCz and, more resist PDMS/PNVCz layers formed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improved Access to Imidazole‐phosphonic Acids: Synthesis of D‐manno‐Tetrahydroimidazopyridine‐2‐phosphonates

The D ‐manno‐tetrahydroimidazopyridine‐2‐phosphonate 11 was prepared via a high‐yielding Pd(PPh₃)₄‐catalysed diphenylphosphonylation of the manno‐iodoimidazole 12 , followed by transesterification to the diethyl phosphonate 14 and dealkylation, providing 11 in eight steps from the thionolactam 1 and in an overall yield of 15%. Alternatively, a more highly convergent synthesis based on the HgCl₂/Et₃N‐promoted condensation of the thionolactam 1 with the α‐aminophosphonate 24 in THF led to 11 in four steps and in the same overall yield. In the presence of HgCl₂/Et₃N, the thionolactam 1 reacted at 80° with 2‐methoxyethanol to provide 66% of a 64 : 36 mixture of the gluco‐ and manno‐iminoethers 29 / 30 . Performing the reaction at 22° yielded preferentially the gluco‐isomer 29 (86%, 84 : 16).