Structure study of the furan–maleic anhydride copolymer

A structural study of furan–maleic anhydride copolymer (F–MAH) was undertaken to confirm its alternating nature and to determine its microstructure. The spectral properties of a model compound representing the alternating repeat unit, 2-(2-tetrahydrofuranyl)succinic anhydride, were compared with those of F–MAH. Their infrared (IR), ¹H, and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra (after compensating for the absence of the olefinic double bond) were in good agreement with those of the copolymer. Furthermore, the observed splitting in the ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra of F–MAH were assigned to cis–trans linkages on both the F and MAH units, with cis linkage being favored on both units, especially the former. The structure of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMeF)–MAH copolymer is similar to that of F–MAH copolymer, except that the preference of cis linkages is less pronounced. The structure of 2-methylfuran (MF)–MAH copolymer is a complex structure with numerous 2,3-furandiyl units. A mechanistic study was undertaken to elucidate the roles of F–MAH Diels–Alder adduct, and the charge-transfer (CT) complex in the radical initiated copolymerization. The adduct reverted substantially to monomers under the reaction conditions; but, the amount of adduct remaining at equilibrium was quite appreciable; therefore, its participation could be ruled out on this basis alone. However, on polymerizing the adduct in the presence of F-d₄, the latter was incorporated into the copolymer to an extent indicative of free monomer exchange. Therefore, the adduct cannot be directly involved in the polymerization.     

Synthesis of novel copolymers obtained from acceptor/donor radical copolymerization of phosphonated allyl monomers and maleic anhydride

A series of four phosphonated‐bearing allyl monomers, that is, diethyl‐1‐allylphosphonate ( AP ), dimethyl‐1‐allyloxymethylphosphonate ( AOP ), 5‐ethyl‐5‐(allyloxymethyl)‐2‐oxo‐1,3,2‐dioxaphosphorinane ( AEDPH ), and 2‐benzyl‐5‐ethyl‐5‐(allyloxymethyl)‐2‐oxo‐1,3,2‐dioxaphosphorinane ( AEDPBn ) were synthesized. These monomers were then copolymerized by free radical polymerization in the presence of maleic anhydride, thus leading to alternated copolymers with phosphonate moieties. It was shown that both monomer conversion and reaction rate were dependent on the phosphonate moieties carried out by the allyl monomer: the bulkier the phosphonate group, the higher the polymerization rate. Thermogravimetric analysis of the copolymers revealed a high content of residue, also varying with the nature of the phosphonate moieties. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Donor-acceptor complexes in copolymerization. L. Preparation and microstructure of chlorine-containing alternating conjugated diene–acceptor monomer copolymers

Neighboring monomer units cause significant shifts in the infrared absorption peaks attributed to cis- and trans-1,4 units in conjugated diene-acceptor monomer copolymers. Conjugated diene-maleic anhydride alternating copolymers apparently have a predominantly cis-1,4-structure, while alternating diene-SO₂ copolymers have a predominantly trans-1,4 structure. Alternating copolymers of butadiene, isoprene, and pentadiene-1,3 with α-chloroacrylonitrile and methyl α-chloroacrylate, prepared in the presence of Et_1.5AlCl_1.5(EASC), have trans-1,4 unsaturation. Alternating copolymers of chloroprene with acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, α-chloroacrylonitrile, and methyl α-chloroacrylate prepared in the presence of EASC-VOCl₃ have trans-1,4 configuration. The reaction between chloroprene and acrylonitrile in the presence of AlCl₃ yields the cyclic Diel-Alder adduct in the dark and the alternating copolymer under ultraviolet irradiation. The equimolar, presumably alternating, copolymers of chloroprene with methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate undergo cyclization at 205°C to a far lesser extent than theoretically calculated, to yield five and seven-membered lactones. The polymerization of chloroprene in the presence of EASC and acetonitrile yields a radical homopolymer with trans-1,4 unsaturation.     

Donor–acceptor complexes in copolymerization. XLIII. Cyclization of alternating and random styrene–(meth)acrylic ester copolymers

Equimolar alternating copolymers of styrene and methyl methacrylate (prepared with Et_1.5AlCl_1.5, SnCl₄, and ZnCl₂) as well as equimolar random copolymer were treated with polyphosphoric acid at 135°C. The extent of cyclization of the alternating copolymers was about 40%, independent of the cotacticity of the copolymer, and there was little or no crosslinking. The random copolymer underwent only 10% cyclization and considerable crosslinking. The extent of cyclization of the alternating copolymer of styrene and methyl acrylate (prepared with Et_1.5AlCl_1.5) was the same as that of the random copolymer and was lower than that of the corresponding methyl methacrylate copolymer. Both alternating and random copolymers underwent extensive crosslinking.     

Donor–acceptor complexes in copolymerization. XLIX. Cationic polymerization of donor monomers in presence of polar solvents and acrylic monomers. A revised mechanism for polymerization of comonomer complexes

α-Methylstyrene (MS) and isobutyl vinyl ether (VE) readily polymerize, styrene (S) polymerizes to a small extent, and isobutylene (IB), butadiene (BD), and isoprene (IP) fail to polymerize in the presence of catalytic amounts of AlCl₃ when propionitrile, ethyl propionate, and methyl isobutyrate are used as reaction media. MS polymerizes readily and S polymerizes with difficulty in the presence of AlCl₃ to yield homopolymers when acrylonitrile (AN) is present and copolymers with ethyl acrylate (EA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). VE readily homopolymerizes, while IB, BD, and IP fail to polymerize in the presence of AlCl₃ and the acrylic monomers. VE readily homopolymerizes, S and MS polymerize to a very small extent, and IB, BD, and IP do not polymerize in the presence of ethylaluminum sesquichloride (EASC) in polar solvents. VE readily homopolymerizes in the presence of EASC and the acrylic monomers. MS polymerizes to a small extent in the presence of EASC and the acrylic monomers to yield equimolar copolymers with EA and MMA and a mixture of cationic homopolymer and equimolar copolymer with AN. S yields equimolar copolymers in low yield in the presence of EASC and the acrylic monomers. IB, BD, and IP in the presence of EASC do not polymerize to any significant extent when EA is present, form AN-rich copolymers and yield poly(methyl methacrylate) in the presence of MMA. A revised mechanism is presented for the formation of cationic, radical, random, and alternating copolymers as well as alternating copolymer graft copolymers in the copolymerization of donor and acceptor monomers.     

Alternating copolymerization of α-methylstyrene and maleic anhydride

Alternating copolymers of α-methylstyrene (α-MeSt) and maleic anhydride (MAn) were prepared by free-radical-initiated polymerization in bulk, benzene, or butanone as solvents. By applying the generalized model described by Shirota and co-workers, the reactivity ratios k_1c/k₁₂ and k_2c/k₂₁ were calculated from the change of copolymerization rate with monomer feed at constant total monomer concentration. From the equation R_p = R_p(f) + R_p(CT) were calculated R_p(f) and R_p(CT), and it was found that in benzene the reaction proceeds predominantly by the addition of CT-complex monomers, while in butanone, cross propagation of free monomers predominates. Termination occurs predominantly by homotermination of α-MeSt macro free radicals, k_t22, although the cross termination k_t21 is also operative.     

Alternating copolymerization of β-methylstyrene and maleic anhydride

Alternating copolymers of β-methylstyrene and maleic anhydride were prepared by free-radical-initiated polymerization in bulk and in toluene as a solvent. The reactivity ratios k_1c/k₁₂ and k_2c/k₂₁ were calculated from the change of copolymerization rate with a monomer feed at a constant total monomer concentration according to the generalized model of Shirota and coworkers. From the equation R_p = R_p(f) + R_p(CT) were calculated R_p(f) and R_p(CT), and it was found that in toluene the copolymerization proceeds predominantly by the addition of CT-complex monomers. Termination occurs predominantly by homotermination of β-methyl-styrene macro free radicals, k_t22, but the cross termination k_t21 is also operative.     

Polymerization of complexed monomers. I. Alternating copolymers from cyclopentene and complexed polar monomers

Alternating equimolar copolymers of cyclopentene with acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate were prepared in the presence of ethylaluminum sesquichloride. Varying conditions of monomer ratio, temperature, light, and reaction time were studied. The structures of the polymers and mechanistic implications are discussed.     

Alternating copolymerization through the complexes of conjugated vinyl monomers–alkylaluminum halides

A vinyl monomer that has the nitrile or carbonyl group conjugated to the C?C double bond, such as acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate, forms a complex with an alkylaluminum halide, and the complex reacts spontaneously with a hydrocarbon monomer such as styrene, propylene, or ethylene, giving a high molecular weight copolymer. The copolymers always contain the two monomer units in 1:1 ratio. Thus styrene, copolymerized with methyl acrylate or methyl methacrylate in the presence of ethylaluminum sesquichloride in homogeneous toluene solution, gives such an equimolar copolymer regardless of the initial monomer compositions. The NMR spectra of these copolymers are distinctly different from those of the equimolar copolymers obtained with azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator and have simpler and well separated patterns. The copolymers and the corresponding radical copolymers appear to be amorphous, judged by their x-ray diffraction patterns and their differential thermal analyses. Their infrared spectra resemble each other very closely. Hence, the difference in the NMR spectra may be ascribed to the matter of the sequence distribution. The infrared spectrum of ethylene–methyl acrylate copolymer shows no absorption near 720 cm.^?1 due to the methylene sequence arising from ethylene–ethylene linkage. These experimental data lead to the inference that the equimolar copolymers obtained in this work may have an alternating sequence.     

Structure of the “adduct” of caryophyllene with maleic anhydride and its tricyclic derivative

The structure of the N-methylanilide of 3-oxo-9,12,12-trimethyl-2-oxatetracyclo-[7,6,1,0^1,60^10,13]hexadecane-5-carboxylic acid, obtained from the “adduct” of caryophyllene with maleic anhydride, has been investigated by x-ray structural analysis.     

Stereochemistry of alternating isobutene–maleic anhydride,isobutene–dimethyl fumarate,and isobutene–dimethyl maleate copolymers

The stereochemical composition of the free radical alternating isobutene–maleic anhydride (IB/MA), isobutene–dimethyl fumarate (IB/DMF), and isobutene–dimethyl maleate (IB/DMM) copolymers was investigated by proton magnetic resonance. In contrast to the singlet gem-dimethyl resonance found in polyisobutene or in the alternating isobutene/acrylonitrile copolymer, the gem-dimethyl resonance of IB/MA, hydrolyzed IB/MA, and esterified IB/MA is a quadruplet with peaks of approximately equal intensity. The multiplicity of the spectra is consistent with the presence of equal amounts of threo-di-isotactic and threo-di-syndiotactic triads, disproving previous claims that such copolymers are predominantly threo-di-isotactic. The spectrum of the analogous IB/DMF indicates that the copolymer is composed entirely of erythro-di- isotactic and erythro-di-syndiotactic triads. This result is consistent with the exclusive trans opening of the dimethyl fumarate double bond and provides the first example for the stereospecific double bond opening of a noncyclic monomer in free radical polymerization. In contrast, the spectrum of IB/DMM shows that the dimethyl maleate double bond opens approximately 93% cis and 7% trans during copolymerization. Since the stereochemical composition of IB/DMF and IB/DMM is not the same, it is concluded that the radicals formed from dimethyl maleate and/or dimethyl fumarate do not equilibrate freely among all the possible configurations before isobutene addition.     

Monoesterification of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers with alcohols in ethyl benzene: Catalysis and kinetics

A kinetic investigation on the monoesterification reaction of the maleic anhydride residue (MA) in styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers with aliphatic alcohols was carried out in ethyl benzene solution. By comparison to classic catalysts such as tributylamine (TBA) and pyridine, 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4DMAP) is by far the most effective catalyst for this reaction. While both general base and nucleophilic mechanisms contribute to the reaction catalyzed by TBA or pyridine, a nucleophilic mechanism prevails with 4DMAP. This reaction is reversible, and its chemical equilibrium constant decreases significantly with increasing temperature. Both kinetic and thermodynamic results showed that in the presence of 4DMAP, the forward and reverse reactions are second and first order, respectively. The existence of side reactions, reactivity of two styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers of different MA contents as well as two aliphatic alcohols of different lengths are also addressed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Alternating copolymerization of polar vinyl monomers in the presence of zinc chloride. II. Properties of acrylonitrile–styrene copolymer

The properties of the acrylonitrile–styrene copolymer prepared in the presence of zinc chloride were investigated in comparison with those of a copolymer having the same overall composition and prepared by the ordinary radical procedure. The characteristics of the polymer prepared with ZnCl₂ were as follows: (1) less coloration by alkali treatment, (2) less coloration by thermal treatment and (3) higher glass transition temperature. These features may be attributed principally to the structure of the copolymer, which has more unlike bonds and less long sequences as described in the first article of this series. The effects of residual salt in the copolymer on the properties were also investigated.     

Reactions and wetting properties of 1:1 perfluoroalkyl allyl and methallyl ether–maleic anhydride copolymers

Polymers with fluoroalkyl side-groups on three of every four carbon atoms along the polymer main chain were made by treating 1 : 1 copolymers of perfluoroallyl (or methallyl)ethers and maleic anhydride with SF₄, and then esterifying the resulting acid fluoride groups with 1H, 1H-pentadecafluorooctanol. Surface wettability of these polymers by polar and non-polar liquids was studied. The critical surface tension (γ_c) was found by Zisman's method. The dispersion force component of polymer surface energy (γ_s^D) and the polar component of surface energy (γ_s^p) were calculated by the respective methods of Fowkes and Owens. The γ_c values for several of the highly fluorinated polymers were lower than previously reported for any fluoropolymer but not so low as has been observed for the surface of an oriented perfluoroacid monolayer. In the range 11.4–18.5 dyne/cm, γ_c approximates γ_s^D for the fluorinated surfaces; however at lower γ_c values, considerable difference between γ_c and γ_s^D was noted.     

Alternating copolymerization of polar vinyl monomers in the presence of zinc chloride. III. NMR study of methyl methacrylate–styrene copolymer

The copolymer composition curve of the methyl methacrylate–styrene copolymer obtained by the copolymerization in the presence of ZnCl₂ has more alternating tendency than that of ordinary methyl methacrylate–styrene copolymer obtained by radical copolymerization. The fine structure of the copolymer was examined by NMR, and the mechanism of the propagation step of the copolymerization in the presence of ZnCl₂, which was proposed in the first report of this series, was verified.