Polymerization of vinyl chloride by the Ti(O-n-Bu)4–AlEt3–epichlorohydrin catalyst system

The polymerization of vinyl chloride was carried out by using a catalyst system consisting of Ti(O-n-Bu)₄, AlEt₃, and epichlorohydrin. The polymerization rate and the reduced viscosity of polymer were influenced by the polymerization temperature, AlEt₃/Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ molar ratios, and epichlorohydrin/Ti(O-n-Bu)₄ molar ratios. The reduced viscosity of polymer obtained in the virtual absence of n-heptane as solvent was two to three times as high as that of polymer obtained in the presence of n-heptane. The crystallinity of poly(vinyl chloride) thus obtained was similar to that of poly(vinyl chloride) produced by a radical catalyst. It was concluded that the polymerization of vinyl chloride by the present catalyst system obeys a radical mechanism rather than a coordinated anionic mechanism.     

Aromatic and aliphatic CH hydrogen bonds fight for chloride while competing alongside ion pairing within triazolophanes

Triazolophanes are used as the venue to compete an aliphatic propylene CH hydrogen‐bond donor against an aromatic phenylene one. Longer aliphatic C? H ??? Cl^? hydrogen bonds were calculated from the location of the chloride within the propylene‐based triazolophane. The gas‐phase energetics of chloride binding (ΔG_bind, ΔH_bind, ΔS_bind) and the configurational entropy (ΔS_config) were computed by taking all low‐energy conformations into account. Comparison between the phenylene‐ and propylene‐based triazolophanes shows the computed gas‐phase free energy of binding decreased from ΔG_bind=?194 to ?182 kJ mol^?1, respectively, with a modest enthalpy–entropy compensation. These differences were investigated experimentally. An ¹H NMR spectroscopy study on the structure of the propylene triazolophane’s 1:1 chloride complex is consistent with a weaker propylene CH hydrogen bond. To quantify the affinity differences between the two triazolophanes in dichloromethane, it was critical to obtain an accurate binding model. Four equilibria were identified. In addition to 1:1 complexation and 2:1 sandwich formation, ion pairing of the tetrabutylammonium chloride salt (TBA⁺ ? Cl^?) and cation pairing of TBA⁺ with the 1:1 triazolophane–chloride complex were observed and quantified. Each complex was independently verified by ESI‐MS or diffusion NMR spectroscopy. With ion pairing deconvoluted from the chloride–receptor binding, equilibrium constants were determined by using ¹H NMR (500 μM ) and UV/Vis (50 μM ) spectroscopy titrations. The stabilities of the 1:1 complexes for the phenylene and propylene triazolophanes did not differ within experimental error, ΔG=(?38±2) and (?39±1) kJ mol^?1, respectively, as verified by an NMR spectroscopy competition experiment. Thus, the aliphatic CH donor only revealed its weaker character when competing with aromatic CH donors within the propylene‐based triazolophane.     

Copolymers of vinyl and vinylidene chlorides with alkyl acrylates

High-molecular-weight copolymers of vinyl chloride and ethyl or butyl acrylate were prepared in high conversion and yield in the presence of boron trifluoride as the acrylate ester complexing agent. When the vinyl chloride monomer is in excess of equimolar amounts, the resulting copolymers are alternating; and when the alkyl acrylates are in excess, acrylate-rich copolymers are obtained. Ethylene–vinyl chloride–ethyl acrylate and propylene–vinyl chloride–ethyl acrylate terpolymers were also obtained with an ethyl acrylate content of 50 mole %. The relative reactivities of propylene, vinyl chloride, and ethylene in these polymerizations were 5.4, 3.8, and 1.0, respectively. Vinylidene chloride–ethyl acrylate copolymers that are nearly alternating and rich in acrylate or in vinylidene chloride have also been prepared. The monomer reactivity ratios for vinylidene chloride and ethyl acrylate in the presence of boron trifluoride are considerably lower than in its absence.     

Polymerization of propylene with TiCl3–AlEt2Cl–polymeric electron donor catalyst

Polymeric donors having ether or carbonyl groups were added to the TiCI₃–AlEt₂CI catalyst system as the third component, and the effects on the polymerization of propylene were investigated in comparison with the effect of the electron donors with low molecular weight. The polymeric donors were effective in making the catalyst more active, but the donors of low molecular weight depressed the catalyst activity. In the case of poly(propylene glycol dimethyl ether) (PPG-DME), PPG–DME with a number of propylene oxide units (n) of more than 6.7 was effective in enhancing the catalyst activity. These effects were considered to be due to the different reactivities between TiCI₃ and AlEt₂CI-polymeric donor complexes having various chain lengths.     

Studies on the Synthesis of Sulfur-Containing Polymer-Rhodium Complexes and Their Use as Catalysts for Hydroformylation

A kind of nonphosphine polymer catalyst has been synthesized by partial substitution of the chlorine atoms of poly(vinyl chloride) with -SR groups (n-propyl, n-hexyl, benzyl, and p-tolyl). Rhodium complexes of these sulfur-containing polymer ligands are highly active catalysts for the hydroformylation of α-olefins. At 60°C and 60 kg/cm², conversion of 1-hexene was nearly complete within 4–6 h. The rhodium to 1-hexene mole ratio was 1/800 to 1/1 000, and the catalyst could be reused once again without losing activity. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure, H₂/CO ratio, S/Rh ratio, concentration of catalyst, and reaction time on the catalyst's activity were examined. The possible mechanism of hydroformylation is discussed. A copolymer of butyl vinyl sulfide and acrylonitrile was synthesized and its rhodium complex was prepared. The catalytic acitvities of this complex for the hydroformylation of 1-hexene was also investigated.     

SET‐LRP of vinyl chloride initiated with CHBr3 and catalyzed by Cu(0)‐wire/TREN in DMSO at 25 °C

The single‐electron transfer living radical polymerization (SET‐LRP) of vinyl chloride (VC) initiated with CHBr₃ in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) at 25 °C was investigated using Cu(0) powder and Cu(0) wire as the catalyst. It was determined that living kinetics and high conversion are achieved only through the proper calibration of the ratio between Cu(0) and TREN and the concentration of VC in DMSO. For both Cu(0) powder and Cu(0) wire, optimum conversion was achieved with higher levels of TREN than reported in earlier preliminary reports and under more dilute conditions. Using these conditions, 85+% conversion of VC could be achieved with Cu(0) powder and wire to produce white poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with M_n = 20,000 and M_w/M_n = 1.4–1.6 in 360 min. The use of Cu(0) wire provides the most effective catalytic system for the LRP of PVC allowing for simple removal and recycling of the catalyst. In the Cu(0) wire‐catalyzed SET‐LRP of VC, the consumption of Cu(0) was monitored as a function of conversion. From these studies, it is evident that the catalyst can be recycled extensively before significant exchange of Cu(0) into Cu(II)X₂ and change in catalyst surface area is observed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 164–172, 2010     

Role of chloroolefins in the formation of copper complexes catalytically active in isomerization of dichlorobutenes

Tetranuclear copper(I) complexes with organic donor ligands were found to be the best precursors of a catalyst for dichlorobutene isomerization. The products of interaction between allyl chloride and a tetranuclear triphenylphosphine complex of copper bromide were investigated by diffraction and spectral analysis. This reaction yields [Cu(PPh₃)Br _n Cl_1−n ]₄ and complexes containing the products of transformation of both triphenylphosphine and allyl chloride. Presented at the First Moscow Workshop on Highly Organized Catalytic Systems. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1830–1834, October, 1997.     

Vanadium alkoxide catalyzed polymerization of vinyl chloride

The polymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) with vanadium complex/alkylaluminum catalyst was investigated. In the case of polymerization with vanadium oxytriethoxide (VO(OEt)₃), poly(vinyl chloride) was obtained in a good yield. The effect of cocatalyst, solvent, and cocatalyst/precatalyst ratio was observed. The structure of the polymer obtained with VO(OEt)₃/i‐Bu₃Al catalyst consisted of regular head‐to‐tail sequence and isobutyl chain‐end structure. VO(OEt)₃/alkylaluminum catalyst was able to copolymerize VC with styrene, 1‐butene, methyl methacrylate, and methyl acrylate. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Titanium-based lewis acids for living cationic polymerizations of vinyl ethers and styrene: Control of lewis acidity in design of initiating systems

This brief account discusses the development of HCl/TiCl_4-n(OR)_n (n = 1–4), the titanium-based new initiating systems for living cationic polymerizations of vinyl ethers and styrene. The focus of this development is controlling the Lewis acidity of the metal halide components [TiCl_4-n(OR)_n] or “activators” in relation to the structure of the monomers. Thus, for vinyl ethers, relatively mild Lewis acids such as TiCl(OiPr)₃ and TiCl₂(OiPr)₂ are effective, whereas for styrene, a stronger Lewis acid such as TiCl₃(OiPr) is employed along with an added salt (nBu₄N⁺Cl⁻). In both cases, living polymers of controlled molecular weights can be obtained in methylene chloride solvent at −15°C.     

Investigation on catalytic systems containing nickel supported on silica and bonded with organic ligands and complexed by lewis acids

The catalytic properties of the

(n = 0–3) system, resulting from the reaction of (C₃H₅)₂Ni with hydroxide groups of silica gel and complexation with a Lewis acid, MeAlCl₂, have been studied in the oligomerization of propylene. It has been ascertained that when n > 3 the excess of MeAlCl₂ is carried out from the catalyst bed by the products. The yield of the product is influenced by the rate of propylene flow and the composition of the catalyst. The yield of products increases with the rise in the propylene flow rate. The highest yield was obtained for n = 1 and the flow of propylene = 360 ml/min g. The elimination by the olefin of the allyl group from the complex in the initial stages of oligomerization was ascertained. This testifies to the formation of new forms of the surface nickel complex that should contain catalytically active NiH or NiR bonds. The EPR studies determined the valence of nickel in this system (n = 1) to be +2 and thus made it possible to propose its structure.     

Synthesis of CO2-based functional poly(carbonate-co-lactide)

TPPAlCl-PPN⁺Cl⁻ binary catalyst (where TPPAlCl is 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin aluminum chloride, PPN⁺Cl⁻ is bis[triphenylphosphine] iminium chloride, the molar ratio of TPPAlCl to PPN⁺Cl⁻ is 1 to 0.5) can initiate the effective one-pot/one-step ternary copolymerization of CO₂, lactide and 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene-1,2-epoxide, and the quaternary copolymerization of CO₂, propylene oxide, lactide, 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene-1,2-epoxide, to form multiblock poly(carbonate-co-lactide) products with pendant vinyl group. The ternary copolymerization product composes of polylactide (PLA) block and poy(vinylcyclohexylene carbonate) (PVCHC) block, and the quaternary copolymerization product composes of poy(propylene carbonate) (PPC) block, PLA block and PVCHC block, which are verified by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹H-¹H cosy, hetero-nuclear multiple bond correlation, DTG, and Gel permeation chromatography analysis. The functionality and glass-transition temperature of the products can be easily adjusted by the copolymerization variables, such as the molar ratio of comonomers, copolymerization temperature, pressure of CO₂, the concentration of the catalyst.     

Control of molecular weight in polymerization of vinyl chloride with Cp*Ti(OPh)3/MAO catalyst

Polymerization of vinyl chloride (VC) with titanium complexes containing Ti‐OPh bond in combination with methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalysts was investigated. Among the titanium complexes examined, Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst (Cp*; pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, Ph; C₆H₅) gave the highest activity for the polymerization of VC, but the polymerization rate was slow. From the kinetic study on the polymerization of VC with Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst, the relationship between the M_n of the polymer and the polymer yields gave a straight line, and the line passed through the origin. The M_w/M_n values of the polymer gradually decrease as a function of polymer yields, but the M_w/M_n values were somewhat broad. This may be explained by a slow initiation in the polymerization of VC with Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the molecular weight control of the polymers is possible in the polymerization of VC with the Cp*Ti(OPh)₃/MAO catalyst. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3872–3876, 2007     

Cyclometalated 2‐phenylpyridine complex [RuII(o‐C6H4‐py)(MeCN)4]PF6 as a tunable catalyst for living radical polymerization

The cyclometalated complex [Ru^II(o‐C₆H₄‐py)(MeCN)₄]PF₆ ( 1 ) with a σ‐Ru? C bond and four substitutionally labile acetonitrile ligands mediates radical polymerization of different vinyl monomers, viz. n‐butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, initiated by three alkyl bromides: ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate, methyl 2‐bromopropionate, and 1‐phenylethyl bromide. The polymerization requires the presence of Al(OiPr)₃ and occurs uncontrollably as a conventional radical process. The variation of the molar ratio of the components of the reaction mixture, such as initiator, Al(OiPr)₃ and catalyst, affected the polymerization rates and the molecular weights but did not improve the control. A certain level of control has been achieved by adding 0.5 eq of SnCl₂ as a reducing agent. Tin(II) chloride decreased the rate of polymerization and simultaneously the molecular weights became conversion‐dependent and the polydispersities were also narrowed. Remarkably, the level of control was radically improved in the presence of excess of the poorly soluble catalyst ( 1 ), when the added amount of ( 1 ) was not soluble any more, i.e., under heterogeneous conditions, the system became adjustable and the living polymerization of all three monomers was finally achieved. Possible mechanisms of the ( 1 )‐catalyzed polymerization are discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4193–4204, 2008     

金鸡纳碱季铵盐促进的 CO2 与环氧化合物的不对称环加成反应

 开发了钴配合物/金鸡纳碱季铵盐催化剂体系用于催化 CO2 与环氧化合物的不对称环加成反应, 考察了催化剂和助催化剂中阴离子对反应的影响. 结果表明, 该反应可在 667 kPa CO2 压力和室温下进行. 催化剂中不同阴离子的活性次序为 2-硝基苯氧基 > 2,4,6-三硝基苯氧基 > NO3? > OAc? > 三氟乙酸根 ≈ B ? > Cl? >对甲苯磺酸根. 当助催化剂阴离子为 Cl?时反应的 ee 值较高, 而为 Br? 时反应速度较快. 当以 (S,S)-1,2-环己二胺缩 (N,N-双 (3,5-二-叔丁基水杨醛) 钴 (III) 乙酸盐 ((S,S)-A) 结合 N,O-二苄基氯化奎宁 (1a) 作助催化剂时, 得到了 ee 值为 73% 的手性丙烯环碳酸酯.     

Macromolecular models for branched PVC. II. Reactivity of chlorine bound to a tertiary carbon atom in the copolymer vinyl chloride–isopropenyl chloride

The selectivity of the phenolysis reaction of a chlorine atom bound to a tertiary carbon Cl_T on a macromolecular model, i.e., the copolymer of vinyl chloride–isopropenyl chloride, was verified. The phenolysis reaction can be used as a chemical method to determine Cl_T in the copolymers. Phenolic polyelectrolytes are obtained as products. The increase of the Cl_T content leads to an appreciable decrease of the thermal stability of the polymer. The thermal decomposition by dehydrochlorination is a chain reaction. The γ and ultraviolet radiolysis processes did not reveal a remarkable influence of Cl_T; the samples with an increased Cl_T content showed a decreased stability towards sunlight. One concludes that when Cl_T is present in PVC it can initiate the decomposition reaction at lower temperatures than would be expected.     

Double metal cyanide catalyst prepared using H3Co(CN)6 for high carbonate fraction and molecular weight control in carbon dioxide/propylene oxide copolymerization

Simple mixing of H₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ in methanol resulted in precipitates of [ZnCl]⁺₂[HCo(CN)₆]^2?, constituting a new type of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalyst exhibiting a high performance in carbon dioxide (CO₂)/propylene oxide (PO) copolymerization. High‐molecular‐weight poly(propylene carbonate‐co‐propylene oxide)s [poly(PC‐co‐PO)s] (M_n～40,000) were consistently obtained with high carbonate fractions (～60 mol %) and a high selectivity (>95%) with the new type of DMC catalyst. Conventional preparation of the DMC catalyst using K₃Co(CN)₆ and ZnCl₂ required removing KCl through thorough washing and resulted in lower carbonate fractions (10–40 mol %), which depended on the washing conditions. Feeding hydrophobic diols such as 1,10‐decanediol as chain transfer agent preserved the high carbonate fraction (～60%) and enabled precise control of the molecular weight, including preparation of a low‐molecular‐weight poly(PC‐co‐PO)‐diol (M_n ～2000), which was a flowing viscous liquid with a low T_g (?30 °C) suitable for polyurethane applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4811–4818     

Copolymerization of propylene with 1,3‐butadiene using isospecific zirconocene catalysts

Poly(propylene‐ran‐1,3‐butadiene) was synthesized using isospecific zirconocene catalysts and converted to telechelic isotactic polypropylene by metathesis degradation with ethylene. The copolymers obtained with isospecific C₂‐symmetric zirconocene catalysts activated with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) had 1,4‐inserted butadiene units ( 1,4‐BD ) and 1,2‐inserted units ( 1,2‐BD ) in the isotactic polypropylene chain. The selectivity of butadiene towards 1,4‐BD incorporation was high up to 95% using rac‐dimethylsilylbis(1‐indenyl)zirconium dichloride (Cat‐A)/MMAO. The molar ratio of propylene to butadiene in the feed regulated the number‐average molecular weight (M_n) and the butadiene contents of the polymer produced. Metathesis degradations of the copolymer with ethylene were conducted with a WCI₆/SnMe₄/propyl acetate catalyst system. The ¹H NMR spectra before and after the degradation indicated that the polymers degraded by ethylene had vinyl groups at both chain ends in high selectivity. The analysis of the chain scission products clarified the chain end structures of the poly(propylene‐ran‐1,3‐butadiene). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5731–5740, 2007     

Polymerization of olefin oxides and of olefin sulfides

Two new catalyst systems, sulfur–diethylzinc and 98% hydrogen peroxide–diethylzinc, have been investigated for polymerizing propylene oxide. The sulfur–diethylzinc catalyst system has a broad range of sulfur/zinc atomic ratio for polymerizing propylene oxide heterogeneously to high molecular weight materials in high yields. The highest polymer yield is obtained at the sulfur/zinc atomic ratio of 3–3.5. Like the water–diethylzinc system, the hydrogen peroxide–diethylzinc system has a narrow range of hydrogen peroxide/diethylzinc molar ratio in the vicinity of 0.57 for optimum polymer yield. Crystallinity measurements by x-ray diffraction of a few polymers prepared with these three catalyst systems showed that they are fairly similar in the extent of their crystallinity. A plot of the per cent of polymer insoluble in acetone against inherent viscosity of the original polymer also showed that the polymers prepared with sulfur–diethylzinc and hydrogen peroxide–diethylzinc catalyst systems have similar amounts of crystallinity. Data are given for the polymerizability of ethylene oxide, 1,2-butene oxide, styrene oxide, propylene sulfide, 1,2-butene sulfide, and a vulcanizable copolymer of propylene oxide and allyl glycidyl ether with the sulfur–diethylzinc catalyst system. The polymers from the olefin sulfides had lower inherent viscosities than the polymers from the corresponding olefin oxides. Aging of the sulfur–diethylzinc catalyst (S/Zn atomic ratio = 3.5) improved the yield of poly(propylene oxide). The yield was essentially unchanged when propylene oxide was polymerized in six different solvents. The formation of C₂H₅S_xZnSC₂H₅ and C₂H₅S_xZnS_yC₂H₅ (x and y are integers between 2 and 8) and possibly C₂H₅S_xZnC₂H₅ as the catalytically active species is postulated during the reaction of sulfur and diethylzinc.     

Radical block polymerization of vinyl chloride. II. Synthesis and characterization of vinyl chloride block copolymers

Peroxidized polypropylene has been used as a heterofunctional initiator for a two-step emulsion polymerization of a vinyl monomer (M₁) and vinyl chloride with the production of vinyl chloride block copolymers. Styrene, methyl-, and n-butyl methacrylate and methyl-, ethyl-, n-butyl-, and 2-ethyl-hexyl acrylate have been used as M₁ and polymerized at 30–40°C. In the second step vinyl chloride was polymerized at 50°C. The range of chemical composition of the block copolymers depends on the rate of the first-step polymerization of M₁ and the duration of the second step; e.g., with 2-ethyl-hexyl acrylate block copolymers could be obtained with a vinyl chloride content of 25–90%. The block copolymers have been submitted to precipitation fractionation and GPC analysis. Noteworthy is the absence of any significant amount of homopolymers, as well as poly(M₁)n as PVC. The absence of homo-PVC was interpreted by an intra- and intermolecular tertiary hydrogen atom transfer from polypropylene residue to growing PVC sequences. The presence of saturated end groups on the PVC chains is responsible for the improved thermal stability of these block polymers, as well as their low rate of dehydrochlorination (180°C). Molecular aggregation in solution has been shown by molecular weight determination in benzene and tetrahydrofuran.     

Halido-bridged Copper(II) Complexes with 1-tert-Butyl-1H-tetrazole: Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties

Complex [Cu(tbt)Cl₂]_n (tbt = 1-tert-butyl-1H-tetrazole) was prepared by reaction of tbt with copper(II) chloride in solution. According to single-crystal X-ray analysis, this complex presents 1D coordination polymer, formed at the expense of double chlorido bridges between neighboring pentacoordinate copper(II) cations. 1-tert-Butyl-1H-tetrazole acts as monodentate ligand coordinated by Cu^II cations via the heteroring N⁴ atoms. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements of novel complex [Cu(tbt)Cl₂]_n as well as described previously 1D coordination polymer [Cu(tbt)₂Cl₂]_n, and linear trinuclear complex [Cu₃(tbt)₆Br₆], were carried out. Magnetic studies revealed that the copper(II) ions were weakly ferromagnetically coupled in polymeric copper(II) chloride complexes, whereas complex [Cu₃(tbt)₆Br₆] showed antiferromagnetic coupling.