Effects of ortho-substituents on reactivities,tacticities, and ceiling temperatures of radical polymerizations of phenyl methacrylates

Radical polymerization and copolymerization of some o-alkylphenyl methacrylates were carried out and the effect of the ortho-substituents on the ability to homopolymerize, on the monomer reactivities, and on the ceiling temperatures of the monomers was studied. The effect of the substituent on tacticities and thermal stabilities of the polymers formed was also discussed. The ability to honiopolymerize and the monomer reactivity were considerably decreased by the introduction of the o-substituent. 2,6-Di-tert-butylphenyl methacrylate formed no methanol-insoluble polymer at 60°C. On the basis of the tacticity determined it was noted that the o-substituted phenyl methacrylates preferred syndiotactic addition in the propagation reaction less than did phenyl methacrylate or methyl methacrylate. The polymers formed from the o-substituted monomers were thermally less stable than poly(phenyl methacrylate), and, consistent with this finding, ceiling temperatures of the o-substituted phenyl methacrylates seemed to be lower than that of phenyl methacrylate. The effects observed were characteristic of the o-substituents conformationally close to the carbon-carbon double bond of the monomer or the carbon carrying the unpaired electron of the polymer radical.     

聚合温度对聚甲基丙烯酸三丁基锡酯等规度的影响(Ⅰ)

本文测定了0—130℃温度范围内,由~(60)Co-γ射线和两种活性不同的引发剂引发聚合的聚甲基丙烯酸三丁基锡酯的等规度。利用~(13)C-NMR测定聚合物分子链的等规度,如预料的那样,以间同立构为主,并随着聚合温度的升高间同立构等规度降低。作者认为影响聚合物等规度的因素主要是取代基的极性效应。计算出的控制等规度的活化能参数与聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯和聚甲基丙烯酸三甲基锡酯的属同一数量级,可相互比较。     

Improvement of the thermal stability of cluster‐crosslinked polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) by optimization of the polymerization conditions

The polymerization conditions for polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) crosslinked by 0.5 mol % of the cluster Zr₆O₄(OH)₄(methacrylate)₁₂ were optimized by applying a step polymerization procedure. The onset of thermal decomposition was thus increased up to about 50° for polystyrene and about 110° for poly(methyl methacrylate). The increase in thermal stability correlated with a higher char yield. The glass transition temperatures were also increased by about 15°. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6586–6591, 2005     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). V. Kinetics of initial template polymerization

The influence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a polymer matrix on the initial rate of radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been measured between ?11 and +60°C using a dilatometric technique. Under proper conditions an increase in the relative initial rate of template polymerization with respect to a blank polymerization was observed. Viscometric studies showed that the observed effect could be related to the extent of complex formation between the polymer matrix and the growing chain radical. The initial rate was dependent on tacticity and molecular weight of the matrix polymer, solvent type and polymerization temperature. The accelerating effect was most pronounced (a fivefold increase in rate) at the lowest polymerization temperature with the highest molecular weight isotactic PMMA as a matrix in a solvent like dimethylformamide (DMF), which is known to be a good medium for complex formation between isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA. The acceleration of the polymerization below 25°C appeared to be accompanied by a large decrease in the overall energy and entropy of activation. It is suggested that the observed template effects are mainly due to the stereoselection in the propagation step (lower activation entropy Δ S_p^?) and the hindrance of segmental diffusion in the termination step (higher activation energy Δ E_t^?) of complexed growing chain radicals.     

Identification of a stereoblock poly(methyl methacrylate) sample with a stereocomplex

Acid hydrolysis of a stereoblock poly(methyl methacrylate) sample leads to a mixture of isotactic and syndiotactic poly(methacrylic acid) which can be separated by electrophoresis. The experiment confirms the stereochemical identity between the so-called “stereoblock” poly(methyl methacrylate) and the stereocomplex which syndiotactic and isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) form in the ratio 2:1. A possible mechanism of replica polymerization is suggested to account for this effect.     

Stereocontrol in the free‐radical polymerization of methacrylates with fluoroalcohols

The free‐radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), isopropyl methacrylate (IPMA), and tert‐butyl methacrylate (t‐BuMA) was carried out under various conditions to achieve stereoregulation. In the MMA polymerization, syndiotactic specificity was enhanced by the use of fluoroalcohols, including (CF₃)₃COH as a solvent or an additive. The polymerization of MMA in (CF₃)₃COH at −98 °C achieved the highest syndiotacticity (rr = 93%) for the radical polymerization of methacrylates. Similar effects of fluoroalcohols enhancing syndiotactic specificity were also observed in the polymerization of EMA, whereas the effect was negligible in the IPMA polymerization. In contrast to the polymerizations of MMA and EMA, syndiotactic specificity was decreased by the use of (CF₃)₃COH in the t‐BuMA polymerization. The stereoeffects of fluoroalcohols seemed to be due to the hydrogen‐bonding interaction of the alcohols with monomers and growing species. The interaction was confirmed by NMR measurements. In addition, in the bulk polymerization of MMA at −78 °C, syndiotactic specificity and polymer yield increased even in the presence of a small amount {[(CF₃)₃COH]/[MMA]_o < 1} of (CF₃)₃COH. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4693–4703, 2000     

Synthesis of polyacrylamide samples of known steric structure

The esterification of atactic, syndiotactic and isotactic samples of poly(acrylic acid) by phenol and p-nitrophenol, carried out at 95° in the presence of POCl₃, led only to atactic poly(phenyl and p-nitrophenyl acrylates) respectively, as shown by ¹H-NMR (250 MHz). These polymers and isotactic poly(phenyl acrylate), prepared by anionic polymerization of phenyl acrylate with n-butyllithium, when reacted with ammonia led to bridged polyacrylimides or to linear atactic or isotactic polyacrylamides according to the reaction conditions. Anionic homopolymerization of p-nitrophenyl acrylate did not occur.     

NMR and ESR studies of the solid-state polymerization of vinyl monomers. III. Methacrylic acid

The kinetics of postpolymerization of γ-irradiated methacrylic acid at 77°K has been investigated by wide-line NMR and by ESR spectroscopy. The conversion yield was continuously measured in the temperature range of 260–280°K, from the narrowing of the NMR spectrum due to the progressive “amorphization” of the matrix, releasing the motion of monomer molecules. The rate of postpolymerization decays exponentially with time, independently of the recombination of free radicals. The local concentration of radicals remaining after prolonged annealing is actually the same as initially, showing that no recombination occurs in the microdomains of polymerization. The ¹³C NMR study of the poly(methacrylic acid) formed by solid-state polymerization shows a predominent syndiotactic character, with an increasing contribution of isotactic sequences as the postpolymerization temperature is lowered.     

Effect of temperature and solvent on polymer tacticity in the free‐radical polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate

The effect of temperature and solvent on polymer tacticity in free‐radical polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate was studied by ¹³C and ¹H NMR, respectively. Polystyrene shows a mild syndiotactic tendency (P_m = 0.36 ± 0.02) that is independent of temperature over a wide range (?10 to 120 °C), while poly(methyl methacrylate) shows a stronger syndiotactic tendency (P_m = 0.17 ± 0.01 at 30 °C) that decreases as temperature is increased (P_m = 0.22 ± 0.02 at 80 °C). None of the polymerization solvents studied (bulk, THF, DMF, DMSO, acetonitrile, and acetone) had a significant effect on polymer tacticity in either system. The triad fractions of both polymers showed deviations from the Bernoulli model, implying that the antepenultimate unit affects the propagation reaction. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 3351–3358     

Hydrogen‐bond‐assisted stereocontrol in the radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide with secondary alkyl phosphate: The effect of the bulkiness of the ester group

The radical polymerization of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) in toluene at low temperatures was investigated in the presence of triisopropyl phosphate (TiPP). The addition of TiPP induced a syndiotactic specificity that was enhanced by the polymerization temperature being lowered, whereas atactic polymers were obtained in the absence of TiPP, regardless of the temperature. Syndiotactic‐rich poly(NIPAAm) with a racemo dyad content of 65% was obtained at ?60 °C with a fourfold amount of TiPP, but almost atactic poly(NIPAAm)s were obtained by the temperature being lowered to ?80 °C. This result contrasted with the result in the presence of primary alkyl phosphates, such as tri‐n‐propyl phosphate: the stereospecificity varied from syndiotactic to isotactic as the polymerization temperature was lowered. NMR analysis at ?80 °C revealed that TiPP predominantly formed a 1:1 complex with NIPAAm, although primary alkyl phosphates preferentially formed a 1:2 complex with NIPAAm. Thus, it was concluded that a slight increase in the bulkiness of the added phosphates influenced the stoichiometry of the NIPAAm–phosphate complex at lower temperatures, and consequently a drastic change in the effect on the stereospecificity of NIPAAm polymerization was observed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3899–3908, 2005     

The Relationship of Reaction Temperature,Tg and Rich‐Syndiotacticity of Poly(alkyl methacrylate)s in Modified Microemulsion Polymerization

Nanoscale poly(alkyl methacrylate)s including poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethyl methacrylate), poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), poly(iso‐butyl methacrylate) and poly(benzyl methacrylate) were prepared by a modified microemulsion polymerization procedure. NMR analysis suggested that these poly(methacrylate)s samples were higher in syndiotactic content, lower in isotactic content and the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of them were also higher than those reported in the literature. The tacticities of the poly(methacrylate)s, beside the restricted volume effect of nanoparticles during the modified microemulsion polymerization, were mainly influenced by the reaction temperature, the lower the reaction temperature, the higher the syndiotacticity of the products. The syndiotacticity of the product decreased obviously when the polymerization was carried out at a temperature far above the T_g of the resulting polymer. It was also shown that the tacticity of the polymer was affected by the monomer structure, a monomer with the bulkier alkyl side group would liable to result in a polymer with richer syndiotacticity. Possible mechanism of rich‐syndiotacticity was also discussed.     

Radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate). IV. Influence of solvent type

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was polymerized by radical initiation at 25°C or 35°C in various solvents in the presence of stereoregular poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The occurrence of stereospecific replica polymerization appeared to be related to the capability of stereoassociation of isotactic and syndiotactic PMMA. The solvents can be roughly divided into three types. Type A solvents are polar solvents, which promote stereoassociation resulting in gelation and precipitation. Examples are dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and acetone. Type B solvents are nonpolar aromatic solvents like benzene and toluene, wherein stereoassociation is weaker but still leads to gelation. Type C solvents are very good solvents, in which stereoassociation does not occur. Chloroform and dichloromethane belong to this class. In solvents of type A as well as type B, polymerization in the presence of i-PMMA as a polymer matrix was syndiospecific. However, in the presence of s-PMMA as a polymer matrix the polymerization was isospecific only in type A solvents. The syndiotactic or isotactic triad contents of the polymer formed could be as high as ca. 90% at low conversions. In solvents of type C, polymerization in the presence of stereoregular PMMA proceeds according to a normal radical mechanism. Syndiotacticity was always less than 70%. Stereocomplexes formed in situ during replica polymerization were partly crystalline as detected by x-ray diffraction. The highest crystallinity was detected in those formed in type A solvents.     

Stereoregularity of radically polymerized poly(alkyl acrylates) and poly(trimethylsilyl acrylates) and the preparation of syndiotactic poly(methyl acrylate)

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine the stereoregularity of radically polymerized poly(ethyl acrylates), poly(trimethylsilyl acrylates), and poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂). The ethyl acrylate polymers consisted of a random configuration having about 50% of isotactic diads, and their stereoregularities were independent of the polymerization temperature (40 to ?78°C). Poly(trimethylsilyl acrylates) and poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂) prepared at low temperatures had a syndiotactic configuration. Syndiotactic poly(methyl acrylate) was derived from syndiotactic poly(trimethylsilyl acrylate). For poly(methyl acrylate), an approximate estimation of the stereoregularity by infrared spectroscopy was proposed.     

Isobaric temperature dependence of radical generation in poly(methyl methacrylate)

In this study the effect of temperature on the generation of free radicals accompanying the decomposition of benzoyl peroxide in poly(methyl methacrylate) was studied. The concentration of the chain-end radicals was determined by the ESR method. The known nine-line spectrum of the chain-end radicals of poly(methyl methacrylate) was observed. This spectrum was affected by the contribution of chain radicals at higher temperatures. The dependence of the chain-end radical concentration on the annealing temperature of polymer found for different pressures gives information on the conditions under which free radicals arise and decay in the temperature range between 90 and 170°C at pressures ranging from 2000 to 12000 atm.     

Asymmetric selective polymerization of racemic 1,2-diphenylethyl methacrylate with the ethylmagnesium bromide-(−)-sparteine complex

Asymmetric selective (or stereoelective) polymerization of racemic 1,2-diphenylethyl methacrylate (DPEMA) with ethylmagnesium bromide (EtMgBr)-(?)-sparteine catalyst was studied in toluene at ?78°C. In the polymerization (S) enantiomer was consumed preferentially and the enantiomeric excess of initially polymerized (S) enantiomer was consumed preferentially and the enantiomeric excess of initially polymerized DPEMA was greater than 90%. Optically pure (R) monomer was recovered at about 70% polymer yield. Poly(DPEMA) obtained with EtMgBr-(?)-sparteine complex was highly isotactic. It was found in the polymerization of optically active DPEMA that optical rotation of poly(DPEMA) was dependent on the tacticity and that isotactic and syndiotactic poly(DPEMA)s showed opposite optical rotations. Circular dichroism spectra of the optically active polymers were measured.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate with dimethylbenzylanilinium chloride

In order to clarify the mechanism of initiation by dimethylbenzylanilinium chloride (DMBAC), the polymerization of methyl methacrylate with DMBAC has been investigated at 60–80°C. From the results of kinetic and tracer studies, it was found that this polymerization proceeded via a radical mechanism and benzyl radical was not an initiating species. However, it was also noted that DMBAC easily dissociated into dimethylaniline and benzyl chloride under the present conditions, and the overall activation energy for the methyl methacrylate polymerization was 14.6 kcal/mole. These observations indicate that initiating radicals other than benzyl radical, i.e., phenyl or methyl radicals, may be produced through a redox interaction between DMBAC and dimethylaniline dissociated from DMBAC.     

The synthesis of diene – alkyl methacrylate diblock and heteroarm star copolymers

The synthesis of A₂B₂ heteroarm stars, where A is either polyisoprene (PI) or polybutadiene (PB) and B is either poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) has been achieved using living anionic polymerization. Following polymerization of the diene in hexane by sec‐BuLi, the solvent was changed to THF and the living chains were linked in pairs – without loss of anionic reactivity – using 1,2‐bis[4‐(1‐phenylethenyl)]ethane (EPEB). Star synthesis was completed by the addition of MMA or BMA monomer at −78°C. The diblocks were prepared by sequential polymerization. The resulting stereochemistries were those of greatest interest from a practical standpoint, i.e., PI or PB with a high 1,4‐content (which is highly elastic) and syndiotactic PMMA (which has a high T_g).     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate with ceric ion-methanol redox system

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by Ce⁴⁺ methanol redox system was studied in aqueous solution of nitric acid at 15°C. The polymerization was initiated by primary radicals formed from Ce⁴⁺/alcohol complex. Poly(methyl methacrylate) chains containing the alcohol residue were obtained. Variations in the temperatuare and concentration of the components of the redox system allowed the control of the rate of polymerization and molecular weight of the polymer. The concentration of the hydroxyl end groups in the poly(methyl methacrylate) of low molecular weight was determined by titration and by spectrometric method.     

Photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate in the presence of C-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone

The effect of C-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone as a source of nitroxyl radicals on the kinetic parameters of radical photopolymerization of methyl methacrylate and the molecular mass characteristics of the resulting polymer was studied. It was shown that the polymerization at 30°C in the presence of this additive proceeds without the gel effect, thus allowing poly(methyl methacrylate) synthesis with a narrower molecular-mass distribution than the additive-free process.     

Stereoregularity of poly(methyl methacrylate) prepared by aqueous polymerization and catalyzed by corundum

The aqueous polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in the absence and in presence of corundum or carborundum at 25 and 80°C. In the absence of corundum and carborundum, it has been found that rising the polymerization temperature from 25 to 80°C resulted in changing the tacticity of the obtained polymers. At 25°C the isotactic triad was 26% while the heterotactic triad was 33.5% and the syndiotactic one was 40.5%. Increasing the polymerization temperature to 80°C resulted in a decrease of the isotactic structure to 0% and increased the heterotactic structure and syndiotactic structure to 48 and 52% respectively. Polymerizing at 25°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) an increase in the syndiotactic triad took place from 40.5 to 50.7% while the isotactic triad decreased from 26 to 22.2% and the heterotactic structure decreased from 33.5 to 27%. Raising the polymerization temperature to 80°C in the presence of the same amount of corundum resulted in an increase in both the isotactic and heterotactic triads to 35 and 32.7%, respectively. Polymerizing at 80°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) resulted in nearly an equal percentage of each triad 33%.