Anionic polymerization of 1,2-butylene oxide

Anionic polymerizations of 1,2-butylene oxide were carried out in vacuum-sealed dilatometers in the range of 30–60°C. Potassium terbutoxide and dimsyl sodium were used as initiators; dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and mixtures of DMSO with tetrahydrofuran were solvents. The polymer products were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography and infrared spectroscopy. The object of the investigation was to obtain information on the mechanism of the reaction and to elucidate some of its kinetic aspects. It has been shown that the polymerizations occur by two different processes, depending on the choice of experimental conditions. One of the processes involves free ions and ion-pairs, the other, ion-pairs alone. In the first case, where dimethyl sulfoxide is used as solvent, the order of the reaction with respect to the initiator concentration far exceeds unity (～1.8), while in the second case, involving mixed solvents, the order of the reaction, for all practical purposes, is one.