Poly(vinyl chloride) stabilization with organo-tin compounds: Part VI—The behavior of dibutyltin dilaurate

The reaction between dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL) and chloro-4-hexene-2 (containing its isomer chloro-2-hexene-3) as a model compound for the allylic chlorine atom in poly(vinyl chloride) has been studied in dichlorobutane solution at 80°C. The reactions observed—elimination of HCl to give hexadiene and substitution of the laurate group to give hexenyl laurate—are believed to obey E2 and SN2 mechanisms through a common intermediate carbocation, with a rather low selectivity towards the substitution owing to the associated structure of the DBTL. The kinetics are complex because of the complex nature of the exchange reaction between DBTL and Bu₂SnCl₂. A reverse reaction between the hexenyl laurate and the organo-tin chloride is proposed to explain the limitation of the substitution reaction.