Polymerization of styrene with ZrCl4 and ZrCl3 in combination with Al(C2H5)3

The polymerization of styrene with two catalyst systems consisting of Al(C₂H₅)₃ in combination with ZrCl₄ or ZrCl₃ has been studied. The rate of polymerization with catalyst concentration was first-order with ZrCl₄ system and second-order with ZrCl₃ system, but at higher catalyst concentrations in both cases, the rate progressively decreases and finally attains a low value. The rate of polymerization is, however, proportional to the square of the monomer concentration in both the cases. The overall energy of activation was 10.9 kcal./mole and 6.45 kcal./mole in these systems. The polymers obtained with ZrCl₄ were of lower molecular weights as compared to those obtained with ZrCl₃. The polymers in both the cases had amorphous character.     

Anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate with Cr(C5H7O2)3–Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system

A homogeneous catalyst system, Cr(C₅H₇O₂)₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, was used for the polymerization of methyl methacrylate. The yield of polymer increased up to an Al/Cr ratio of 12 and thereafter remained almost constant with increasing Al/Cr. The rate of polymerization increased linearly with increasing catalyst and monomer concentrations at Al/Cr = 12. The molecular weight, however, decreased with increasing catalyst concentration and increased with increasing monomer concentration, indicating anionic polymerization reaction. NMR studies of the polymers indicated the presence of a stereoblock structure, which changed to heteroblock structure in presence of triethylamine and hydroquinone as additives in the catalyst. In the light of these observations, the mechanism of the polymerization is discussed.     

Stereoblock polymerization of methyl methacrylate with VOCl3?Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system

Kinetics of the polymerization of methyl methacrylate with the VOCl₃? AlEt₃ catalyst system at 40°C in n-hexane have been studied. A linear dependence of rate of polymerization on the monomer and catalyst concentrations as well as an overall activation energy of 5.87 kcal/mole were found. Characterization of the structure of the polymer by NMR spectra revealed the presence of stereoblock units. The mechanism of polymerization is discussed in relation to the kinetic data obtained.     

Polymerization of acrylonitrile with VCl4–Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system in presence of acetonitrile

The polymerization of acrylonitrile with the homogeneous catalyst system of VCl₄–AlEt₃ in acetonitrile at 40°C has been investigated. The rate of polymerization is found to be first-order with respect to monomer and inversely proportional to the catalyst concentration. The overall activation energy for this catalyst system is 10.97 kcal/mole. The inverse proportionality of rate of polymerization with the catalyst concentration is attributed to the permanent complex formation between the catalyst complex and acrylonitrile, and a reaction scheme is proposed.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate by Ziegler-Natta type catalyst systems: Fe(acac)3-AlEt2Br and Fe(acac)3-ZnEt2

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out with the following Ziegler-Natta type initiating systems: Fe(AcAc)₃-AlEt₂Br, Fe(AcAc)₃-ZnEt₂ (acac = acetyl acetonate). Both the catalyst systems are active under homogeneous conditions in benzene at 40°C for methyl methacrylate polymerization. The polymerization kinetics suggests that the average rate of polymerization was first order with respect to [monomer] for both the catalyst systems, and the overall activation energies were found to be 14.0 and 12.8 kcal mol ^?1.     

Kinetics and mechanism of stereospecific polymerization of methyl methacrylate with VOCl3–AlEt2Cl catalyst system

Methyl methacrylate was polymerized at 40°C with VOCl₃–AlEt₂Cl catalyst system in n-hexane. The rate of polymerization was proportional to catalyst and monomer concentration at Al/V ratio of 2 and overall activation energy of 9.25 kcal/mole support a coordinate anionic mechanism of polymerization. The catalytic activity and stereospecificity of this catalyst system is discussed in comparison with that of VOCl₃–AlEt₃ catalyst system.     

The kinetics of polymerization of cyclopentene by WCl6/AliBu3 catalyst

The kinetics of the polymerization of cyclopentene by WCl₆/AliBu₃ catalysts have been studied and the factors controlling the reproducibility of the rate of polymerization have been ascertained. A significant dependence of the rate of polymerization on the time between the additions of WCl₆ and AliBu₃ was observed. The dependence of the catalyst activity r,i this time delay suggested that WCl₆ reacted with cyclopentene to produce an unstable species (W₁) that could react with AliBu₃ to produce a catalytically active species (W₁¹) or that could react further with cyclopentene to produce another species W₂ that in turn would react with AliBu₃ to produce a much less active catalyst W₂¹. The detailed study of the kinetics of polymerization under controlled conditions suggested a kinetic chain mechanism initiated by two catalyst species; mechanism of polymerization based on the carbene system is suggested.     

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.     

Polymerization of styrene with the VOCL3–AlEt2Br catalyst system

The rate of polymerization with the VOCl₃–AlEt₂Br catalyst system at 30°C. in n-hexane reached a maximum at an Al/V molar ratio of 1.5. At this ratio, the rate of polymerization was first-order with respect to catalyst and second-order with respect to monomer concentrations. The apparent activation energy calculated was 6.4 kcal./mole. Diethylzine was found to act as a chain transfer agent. However, the molecular weights of polymers obtained were low. The possibility of bromide-containing catalyst sites acting in the termination reaction has been investigated. The average valence of vanadium is discussed in relation to molecular weights.     

Reverse Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Acrylonitrile Catalyzed by FeCl3/Lactic Acid

Reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (RATRP) of acrylonitrile (AN) was carried out using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator, ferric trichloride anhydrous (FeCl₃)/lactic acid (LA) as catalyst system; a ratio of FeCl₃/LA was 1:2 gave the best control. RATRP of AN with N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent gave the moderate polymerization rate and the narrowest polydispersity index (PDI). When FeCl₃ was replaced by CuBr₂, RATRP of AN showed a longer induction period. When Cu was added to the CuBr₂-based catalyst system, the induction period was reduced. ¹H-NMR spectra of PAN verified the possibility of controlled/living polymerization for future chain extension.     

Influence of SeOCl2 on the polymerization of propylene by TiCl3–Al(C2H5)3

The influence of SeOCl₂ on the polymerization of propylene by TiCl₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, and the temperature dependence of the stereospecificity of the catalyst, TiCl₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, have been investigated. SeOCl₂ decreases the rate of polymerization and increase the stereospecificity of the catalyst, which could be explained on the basis of a decrease of the concentration of Al(C₂H₅)₃ accompanied by a reaction between Al(C₂H₅)₃ and SeOCl₂. On the other hand, the stereospecificity of the catalyst, TiCl₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, increases gradually with a decrease in polymerization temperature from 40 to 0°C. From these results, we conclude that SeOCl₂ exerts no essential influence on the polymerization of propylene by TiCl₃–Al(C₂H₅)₃, and that the stereospecificity of the catalyst is attributed mainly to the reducing ability of the organometallic compound.     

Stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether. III. Polymerization with VCl3 • LiCl

The polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether by vanadium trichloride in n-heptane was studied. VCl₃ ? LiCl was prepared by the reduction of VCl₄ with stoichiometric amounts of BuLi. This type of catalyst induces stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether without the action of trialkyl aluminum to an isotactic polymer when a rise in temperature during the polymerization was depressed by cooling. It is suggested that the cause of the stereospecific polymerization might be due to the catalyst structure in which LiCl coexists with VCl₃, namely, VCl₃ ? LiCl or VCl₂ ? 2LiCl as a solid solution in the crystalline lattice, since VCl₃ prepared by thermal decomposition of VCl₄ and a commercial VCl₃ did not produce the crystalline polymer and soluble catalysts such as VCl₄ in heptane and VCl₃ ? LiCl in ether solution did not yield the stereospecific polymer. It was found that some additives, such as tetrahydrofuran or ethylene glycol diphenyl ether, to the catalyst increased the stereospecific polymerization activity of the catalysts. Influence of the polymerization conditions such as temperature, time, monomer and catalyst concentrations, and the kind of solvent on the formed polymer was also examined.     

Al(Cap)3 as initiator in the anionic polymerization of ε-caprolactam at high temperature

Mechanism for polymerization of ε-caprolactam in the presence of both sodium and aluminum caprolactamate was investigated at 171°C. The role of Al(Cap)₃ as an initiator was revealed. The apparent rate constant of propagation reaction decreased with the increase in the concentration of Al(Cap)₃, as the two different metal salts interact even at 171°C. The activation energy of the overall polymerization reaction with this catalyst system was estimated to be 41.18 kcal/mole.     

Stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether by AIR3–VCl3·LiCl catalyst. II. Effects of polymerization conditions on polymerization

The effect of polymerization conditions such as aging time of the catalyst, polymerization temperature, polymerization time, monomer concentration, and catalyst concentration on the polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether was intensively studied by using the VCI₃·LiCl–Al(i-Bu)₃ system at an Al(i-Bu)/VCl₃·LiCl ratio of 6 at which the cationic polymerization by VCl₃·LiCl is sufficiently depressed. About 10 min aging of the catalyst in the presence of monomer yields a fairly stable catalytie system. The optimum polymerization temperature is around 30°C. The conversion increased with increasing monomer concentration, whereas the stereospecificity of polymerization decreased. Unexpectedly, the conversion decreased as total catalyst concentration increased. This phenomenon is explained by considering the deactivation of catalytic sites by the excess of Al(i-Bu)₃. A reasonable mechanism from kinetic considerations is that two molecules of Al(i-Bu)₃ deactivate the catalytic site in an equilibrium reaction. This deactivation is understandable by considering that the coordination of two molecules of Al(i-Bu)₃ will occupy all the coordination positions of vanadium, so that there is no room for coordination of monomer coming to the catalytic site.     

Effect of valence state of vanadium on stereoblock polymerization of methyl methacrylate with VOCl3–AlEt2Br catalyst system

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate with the VOCL₃–ALEt₂Br catalyst system in n-hexane has been studied. The first-order dependence of rate of polymerization on catalyst and monomer concentrations, activation energy of 6.67 kcal/mole, and NMR spectra of polymer lend support to a coordinate anionic mechanism of polymerization. It has been shown that the vanadium in V⁺² oxidation state is less active than V⁺³ oxidation state of active complex.     

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     

Kinetics and mechanism of polymerization yielding stereoblock poly(methyl methacrylate) with VCl4-Al(C2H5)3 catalyst system

Methyl methacrylate was polymerized at 40°C with the VCl₄–AlEt₃ catalyst system in n-hexane. The rate of polymerization was proportional to the catalyst and monomer concentration at Al/V ratio of 2, indicating a coordinate anionic mechanism of polymerization. NMR spectra were further used to confirm the mechanism of polymerization and stability of active sites responsible for isotacticity.     

FeCl3/Acetic Acid-mediated Reverse Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization of Acrylonitrile

Reverse atom transfer radical polymerization (RATRP) has been successfully applied in the synthesis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with FeCl₃/acetic acid as catalyst in the presence of conventional initiator azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) at 65°C in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). A FeCl₃ to acetic acid ratio of 1:2 not only gave better control on polymer's molecular weight and its distribution, but also provided a rapid polymerization rate compared with any other molar ratio of FeCl₃ to acetic acid. The polymerization rate increased with increasing temperature and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 80.6 kJ·mol^?1. In comparison with dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, cyclohexanone and ethyl acetate, DMF was considered to be the best solvent of the polymerization for its polarity. Analysis of ¹H-NMR further confirmed the living nature of the polymerization.     

The polymerization of propadiene by Ni(acac)2, C3H4, RnAlX3−n catalysts

Catalyst formation in the system Ni(acac)₂, C₃H₄, R_nAlX_3?n was studied. Polymerization experiments showed that, by replacing ionic groups such as acac^?, Br^?, Cl^? with alkyl or hydride groups, an active catalyst is obtained. Electrolysis of Ni(acac)₂ in tetrahydrofuran also gives an active catalyst. Lewis acids like (iBu)₃Al and Et₃Al increase the polymerization rate, while Lewis bases like pyridine and triphenylphosphine not only decrease the rate but also change selectivity. The selectivity is not changed if different transition metals (e.g. Co, Pd, Ni) are used. Kinetic measurements show a first order dependence on Ni. The dependence on (iBu)₃Al changes from first to zero order with increasing $\text{Al}\text{Ni}$ ratio. This can be explained by assuming that the very active catalyst is formed via an equilibrium between a nickel complex and (iBu)₃Al. A first order deactivation of the nickel catalyst is observed; it is faster during polymerization than during ageing of the catalyst.     

Polymerization of styrene with VOCl3–aluminum alkyls

The polymerization of styrene with VOCl₃ in combination with AlEt₃ and with Al(i-Bu)₃ in n-hexane at 40°C. has been investigated. The rate of polymerization was found to be second order with respect to monomer in both systems. With respect to catalyst the rate of polymerization was first order for VOCl₃–AlEt₃ and second order for VOCl₃-Al(i-Bu)₃ systems. The activation energies for VOCl₃–AlEt₃ and VOCl₃–Al(i-Bu)₃ systems were 7.37 and 11.25 kcal./mole, respectively. The molecular weight of polystyrene in the AlEt₃ system was considerably higher than that in the Al(i-Bu)₃ system. The valence of vanadium obtained by a potentiometric method showed that the catalyst sites in the AlEt₃ system are different in nature from those in the Al(i-Bu)₃ system. The effect of diethylzinc as a chain-transfer agent in the AlEt₃ system was also studied.