Electrospray mass spectrometry determination of poly(oxazolidine acetal)

The polycondensation of terephthalaldehyde with 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (TRIS), or of terephthaldehyde with 2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)-bis-1,3-(4,4-dihydroxymethyl)oxazolidine (bis-oxazolidine), using acidic catalysts, leads to the formation of linear polymers and macrocyclic compounds. The structure of the polymer was determined by (1)H-, (13)C-NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis. ESI-MS measurements were used to study the details of the polymer structure and support the alternating nature of equimolar amounts of oxazolidine and the cyclic acetal of terephthaldehyde in these macromolecules.