Ion equilibria in THF solutions of models of “living” methacrylonitrile oligomers with Li+ counterion

The electro-chemical characteristics of isobutyronitrile lithium (P₁Li) and 2-lithio-4-cyano-2,4-dimethylpentanenitrile (P₂Li) are studied. The dissociation constants K of P₁Li and P₂Li are of the order of 10^?11M and show that in THF mainly contact ion pairs exist. The lower value of K for P²Li is an indication for intramolecular complexation between the counterion and the cyano group, next to the active center. Both compounds tend to form ion triples. The results obtained show that in THF the nitrile group of the second monomer unit participates both in intra- and intermolecular interactions with the counterion.