Living Anionic Polymerization of N-Methacryloyl-2-methylaziridine

Anionic polymerization of N-methacryloyl-2-methylaziridine ( 1 ) proceeded with 1,1-diphenyl-3-methylpentyllithium (DMPLi) in the presence of LiCl or Et₂Zn to give the polymers possessing predicted molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n < 1.1) at −78 ∼ −40 °C in THF. In each polymerization initiated with DMPLi/LiCl at the various temperatures ranging from −40 to −60 °C, the linear relationship between polymerization time and conversion of monomer was obtained from the GLC analysis. The rate constant and the activation energy of the anionic polymerization for 1 were determined as follows: ln k = −5.85 × 10³/T + 23.3 L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 49 ± 4 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Poly( 1 ) showed the glass transition temperature at 98 °C, and gave the insoluble product at higher temperature around 150 °C through the thermal cross-linking of highly strained N-acyl-aziridine moiety.     

Anionic Polymerization Behavior of α-Methylene-N-methylpyrrolidone

Anionic polymerization of α-methylene-N-methylpyrrolidone ( MMP ) was carried out in THF at −78∼0 °C with diphenylmethylpotassium (Ph₂CHK) and with diphenylmethyllithium (Ph₂CHLi) in the presence of Lewis acidic diethylzinc (Et₂Zn). Poly( MMP )s possessing predicted molecular weights based on the molar ratios between monomer and initiators and narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n < 1.1) were obtained in quantitative yields. It was demonstrated that the propagating chain end of poly( MMP ) was stable at −30 °C to form the polymers with well-defined chain structures. From the polymerizations at the various temperatures ranging from −50 to −30 °C, the apparent rate constant and the activation energy of the polymerization were estimated as follows: ln k = −6.93 × 10³/T + 25.7 and 57 ± 5 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively.     

Rheological properties of poly(lactides). Effect of molecular weight and temperature on the viscoelasticity of poly(l‐lactic acid)

The dynamic viscoelastic behavior of Poly(l‐lactic acid) (PLLA), with molecular weights ranging from 2,000 to 360,000, have been studied over a broad range of reduced frequencies (approximately 1 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ to 1 × 10³ s⁻¹), using time–temperature superposition principle. Melts are shown to have a critical molecular weight, M_c, of approximately 16,000 g/mol, and an entanglement density of 0.16 mmol/cm³ (at 25°C). PLLA polymers are noted to require substantially larger molecular weights in order to display similar melt viscoelastic behavior, at a given temperature, as that for conventional non‐biodegradable polymers such as polystyrene. The reason for this deviation is suspected to be due to steric hindrance, resulting from excessive coil expansion or other tertiary chain interactions. PLLA melts show a dependence of η₀ on chain length to the 4.0 power (M), whilst J is independent of M_W in the terminal region. Low molecular weight PLLA (∼ 40,000) shows Newtonian‐like behavior at shear rates typical of those achieved during film extrusion. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 1803–1814, 1999     

Determination of hydrogen peroxide by utilizing a cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate-modified glassy carbon electrode as a chemical sensor

A mixed-valence cluster of cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate possesses an electron transfer property and is suitable for the development of an effective hydrogen peroxide detection scheme. The characteristics of cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate have been studied using both elemental analysis and infrared spectra, confirming the structure is Co[Fe^II(CN)₆]. The cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate-modified electrode exhibits a rapid response (t_95% - 6.5 s) to the injection of 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M hydrogen peroxide. The linearity of the response is up to 1.1 × 10⁻³ M (correlation coefficients is 0.999). The sensitivity of this modified electrode is 11.8 μA/mM-mm². The detection limit of cobalt(II)hexacyanoferrate-modified electrode to hydrogen peroxide is 6.25 × 10⁻⁸ M. The current chemical sensor modified with Co[Fe^II(CN)₆] has better sensitivity than previous ones. The modified glassy carbon electrode shows no interference from ascorbic acid, uric acid, acetaminophen, 1,4-dihydroxyquinone, dopamine at the 2.0 × 10⁻⁴ M level and polyamines at 5.0 × 10⁻⁵ M level.     

Chain-length dependent termination in pulsed-laser polymerization, 5. The evaluation of the rate coefficient of bimolecular termination kt for the reference system styrene in bulk at 25°C

Following earlier suggestions the values for the rate coefficient of chain termination k_t in the bulk polymerization of styrene at 25°C were formally calculated (a) from the second moment of the chainlength distribution (CLD) and (b) from the rate equation for laser-initiated pseudostationary polymerization (both expressions originally derived for chain-length independent termination) by inserting the appropriate experimental data including the rate constant of chain propagation k_p. These values were treated as average values, k and k , respectively. They exhibited good mutual agreement, even the predicted gradation (k < k by about 20%) was recovered. The log-log plot of k_t vs. the number-average degree of polymerization of the chains at the moment of their termination yielded exponents b of 0.16–0.18 in the power-law k_t = A · P_n ^−b, A ranging from 2.3 × 10⁸ to 2.7 × 10⁸ L · mol⁻¹ · s⁻¹. These data are only slightly affected if termination is not assumed to occur by recombination only and a small contribution of disproportionation is allowed for.     

Chain-length dependent termination in pulsed-laser polymerization, 6. The evaluation of the rate coefficient of bimolecular termination kt for the reference system methyl methacrylate in bulk at 25°C

The values for the rate coefficient of chain termination k_t in the bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate at 25°C were formally calculated (i) from the second moment of the chain-length distribution and (ii) from the rate equation for laser-initiated pseudostationary polymerization (both expressions were originally derived for chain-length independent termination) by inserting the appropriate experimental data including the rate constant of chain propagation k_p. These values were treated as average values, k and k , respectively. They exhibited good mutual agreement, even the predicted gradation (k < k by about 20%) was recovered. The log-log plot of k_t vs. the average degree of polymerization of the chains at the moment of their termination v′ yielded exponents b of 0.16–0.17 in the power-law k _t = A · v′^−b, A ranging from 1.1 × 10⁸ to 1.3 × 10⁸ (L · mol⁻¹ · s⁻¹). A 70% contribution of disproportionation to overall termination has been assumed in the calculations.     

Improving the control of styrene polymerization at 60 °C using a dialkylated α‐hydrogenated nitroxide

A new dialkylated α‐hydrogenated linear nitroxide and the corresponding 1‐phenylethyl alkoxyamine were synthesized in two and three steps, respectively. The alkoxyamine was involved in the polymerization of styrene at 60 °C, and the in situ concentration of nitroxide was monitored by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The enhanced characteristics of these new alkylated alkoxyamine and nitroxide (k = 1.5 × 10^?4 s^?1 and k = 5.7 × 10⁴ L mol^?1 s^?1) yielded a monomer consumption one order of magnitude higher than styrene thermal polymerization. This resulted in well‐defined polystyrenes up to 70,000 g mol^?1 and the observation of a control occurring through the establishment of the radical persistent effect, that is, ln([M]₀/[M]) = t^2/3. Experimentally determined kinetic constants were involved in PREDICI modelings to investigate the influence of temperature and initial alkoxyamine concentration on the kinetics as well as on the livingness and the controlled character of the polymerization. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Lactide polymerization activity of alkoxide,phenoxide, and amide derivatives of yttrium(III) arylamidinates

In quest of new, single‐site catalysts for cyclic ester polymerizations, a series of mononuclear yttrium(III) complexes of N,N′‐bis(trimethylsilyl)benzamidinate ([L^TMS]⁻) and hindered N,N′‐bis‐(2,6‐dialkylaryl)toluamidinates ([L^Et]⁻, aryl = Et₂C₆H₃, and [L^iPr]⁻, aryl = ⁱPr₂C₆H₃) were synthesized and characterized by X‐ray diffraction: LY(μ‐Cl)₂Li(TMEDA) ( 1 ), LY(OC₆H₂^tBu₂Me) ( 2 ), LY(OC₆H₃Me₂)₂Li(THF)₄ ( 3 ), LY(μ‐O^tBu)₂Li(THF) ( 4 ), L^iPrY[N(SiMe₂H)₂]₂(THF) ( 5 ), LY(THF)(Cl)(μ‐Cl)Li(THF)₃ ( 6 ), and LY[N(SiMe₂H)₂] ( 7 ). Coordination numbers ranging from five to seven were observed, and they appeared to be controlled by the steric bulk of the supporting amidinate and alkoxide, phenoxide, or amide coligands. Complexes 2 – 5 and 7 are active catalysts for the polymerization of D,L ‐lactide (e.g., with 2 and added benzyl alcohol, 1000 equiv of D,L ‐lactide were polymerized at room temperature in less than 1 h, with polydispersities less than 1.5). The neutral complexes 2 , 5 , and 7 were more effective than the anionic complexes 3 and 4 . In addition, the presence of the more hindered amidinate ligands [L^Et]⁻ and [L^iPr]⁻ on yttrium‐amides slowed the polymerizations ( 7 < 5 < Y[N(SiMe₂H)₂]₃). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 284–293, 2001     

Ionic interaction behavior and facilitated olefin transport in poly(n‐vinyl pyrrolidone):Silver triflate electrolytes; Effect of molecular weight

Interactions of cation/anion and cation/polymer in poly(N‐vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP):silver triflate (AgCF₃SO₃) electrolytes with different weight‐average molecular weights (M_w's) of 1 × 10⁶ (1 M), 3.6 × 10⁵ (360 K), 4 × 10⁴ (40 K), and 1 × 10⁴ (10 K) have been studied with IR and Raman spectroscopies. According to the change of the C?O peak, coordination of silver ions by C?O in a low M_w (10 or 40 K) PVP matrix tend to be always thermodynamically favorable than high M_w (1 M or 360 K) PVP, demonstrating that the polymer matrix of low M_w dissolves silver salts more effectively. In addition, silver cations interact with both larger SO and smaller CF₃ to form ion pairs, and the former interaction is stronger than the latter in a monomer or low M_w polymer matrix (40 K, 10 K), as demonstrated by theoretical ab initio calculation or experimental spectroscopy, respectively. However, CF₃ interacts more favorably with silver cation than SO in high M_w (1 M and 360 K) PVP, which is ascribed to the steric effect of the bulky SO anion by highly entangled polymer chains. Despite the superior dissolving property of the low M_w polymer matrix, the membranes consisting of low M_w PVP and AgCF₃SO₃ exhibited poor separation performance for propylene/propane mixtures in comparison with those of high M_w, presumably because of the poor mechanical property for membrane formation in low M_w PVP. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1813–1820, 2002     

Graft block copolymers of propargyl methacrylate and vinyl acetate via a combination of RAFT/MADIX and click chemistry: Reaction analysis

Propargyl methacrylate with its acetylene function protected with a silyl group is polymerized via the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process, using cyanoisopropyl dithiobenzoate (CPDB) as RAFT agent, and subsequently deprotected to afford a polymer backbone where each repeated unit is decorated with an acetylene functionality (1000 < M_n < 13,600 g mol⁻¹, 1.07 < PDI < 1.29). In parallel, an azide functionalized xanthate (ethoxythiocarbonylsulfanyl‐acetic acid 3‐azido‐propyl ester) was employed to prepare narrow polydisperse poly(vinyl acetate) (M_n = 850 g mol⁻¹, PDI = 1.20). The two polymers are conjugated by Huisgen 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition to afford narrow polydisperse comb polymer (1.12 < PDI < 1.18, 3400 < M_n < 12,500 g mol⁻¹, based on linear polystyrene calibration, 4500 < M < 15,600 g mol⁻¹). The study places special emphasis on following the copper catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) as well as via on‐line UV–Vis photospectrometry on several model compounds, i.e. the nonmonomer inserted azido‐xanthate RAFT/MADIX agent as well as a 2‐propargyl‐2‐bromopropionate and 3‐azidopropyl‐2‐bromopropionate model compounds. A suitable absorption band in the VIS at 666 nm (tentatively assigned to a charge transfer complex between copper(I) and the forming triazole moieties) is identified as a promising sensor for following the click reaction kinetics, thus allowing for the rapid assessment of reaction completion in an on‐line fashion. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 155–173, 2008     

SET–LRP of N‐isopropylacrylamide in the presence of chain transfer agent

In this study, single electron transfer‐living radical polymerization (SET–LRP) of N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) in the presence of 2‐mercaptoethylamine chain transfer agent (CTA) was carried out by Cu(0) generated in situ from the disproportionation of CuBr/2,2′‐bipyridine (2,2′‐bpy) in N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) at 90 °C. Analysis of polymerization kinetics in the presence of CTA showed that the premature termination of growing polymer chains leads to retardation. The apparent rate constant of polymerization (k) decreased from 4.49 × 10^?4 to 2.59 × 10^?4 min^?1 with increasing CTA concentration. The initiator efficiency (I_eff) and the chain transfer constant (C_s) were found to be 0.524 and 0.286, respectively. The molecular weights of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) [poly(NIPAM)] produced were significantly higher than the predicted values, and the polydispersities were less than 1.22. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Viscosity of poly(vinyl acetate) and its concentrated solutions

Data on the viscosity of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVOAc) and its concentrated solutions in diethyl phthalate (DEP) and cetyl alcohol (CeOH) are examined over the molecular weight range 8 × 10³ < M < 1.3 × 10⁶, the range 0.15 < φ < 1.0 of the volume fraction φ of polymer, the temperature range 308 to 430°K for PVOAc and its solutions in DEP, and at 396°K in CeOH. The latter is the θ temperature for dilute solutions of PVOAc in CeOH. The data are analyzed with the relation η = KX_c(αφM/M_c)^a exp[1/β(T – T₀)], where a is 1 or 3.4 for αφM less than or greater than a constant M_c, respectively, and X_C, is a constant. The expansion factor α_φ of the chain dimension is found to be essentially unity for φ > ca. 0.25, increasing with decreasing φ for smaller φ. Both β and T₀ depend on φ, and T₀ also depends on M at low M.     

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene. II. Monocyclopentadienyltributoxy titanium/methylaluminoxane catalyst

Syndiospecific polymerization of styrene was catalyzed by monocyclopentadienyltributoxy titanium/methylaluminoxane [CpTi (OBu)₃/MAO]. The atactic and syndiotactic polystyrenes were separated by extracting the former with refluxing 2-butanone. The activity and syndiospecificity of the catalyst were affected by changes in catalyst concentration and composition, polymerization temperature, and monomer concentration. Extremely high activity of 5 × 10⁷ g PS (mol Ti mol S h)^?1 with 99% yield of the syndiotactic product were achieved. The concentration of active species, [C^*], has been determined by radiolabeling. The amount of the syndiospecific and nonspecific catalytic species, [C] and [C] respectively, correspond to 79 and 13% of the CpTi(OBu)₃. The rate constants of propagation for C and C at 45°C are 10.8 and 2.0 (M s)^?1, respectively, the corresponding rate constants for chain transfer to MAO are 6.2 × 10^?4 and 4.3 × 10^?4s^?1. There was no deactivation of the catalytic species during a batch polymerization. The rate constant of chain transfer with monomer is 6.7 × 10^?2 (M s)^?1; the spontaneous β-hydride transfer rate constant is 4.7 × 10^?2 s^?1. The polymerization activity and stereospecificity of the catalyst are highest at 45°C, both decreasing with either higher or lower temperature. The stereoregular polymer have broad MW distributions, M?_w/M?_n = 2.8–5.7, and up to three crystalline modifications. The T_m of the s-PS polymerized at 0–90°C decreased from 261.8 to 241°C indicating thermally activated monomer insertion errors. The styrene polymerization behaviors were essentially insensitive to the dielectric constant of the medium.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of N-methylformamide and N,N-dimethylformamide by silver (II) in aqueous perchlorate media and comparison with oxidation by CoIII and MnIII

Detailed measurements on the kinetics and stoichiometry of the oxidation of N-methylformamide and N,N-dimethylformamide by aquosilver (II) ions are reported. Four Ag ions are consumed for each amide, and the reaction is first order in [Ag] and first order in [amide]. The reaction is inversely dependent on acidity in the range of 1.5–5.0M HClO₄. The oxidation rate is independent of [Ag^I] and ionic strength. The proposed reaction mechanism and activation parameters are compared with those found for the oxidation of amides by other oxidants such as cobalt(III) and manganese(III).     

Thermal and ion transport properties of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymerized styrenic imidazolium ionic liquids

Polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) are a platform for fundamental studies of structure‐property relationships in single ion conductors, with potential applications in energy storage and conversion. The synthesis, thermal properties, and ionic conductivities of homologous, narrow dispersity styrenic PILs are described. Hydrophilic poly(4‐vinylbenzyl alkylimidazolium chloride) (PVBn(alkyl)ImCl) homopolymers with constant average degrees of polymerization were synthesized by post‐synthetic functionalization of a poly(4‐vinylbenzyl chloride) (M_n = 15.9 kg/mol, M_w/M_n = 1.34) master batch with N‐alkylimidazoles (alkyl = ? CH₃ (Me), ? C₄H₉ (Bu), and ? C₆H₁₃ (Hex)). The chloride counterions of PVBnHexImCl were exhaustively metathesized with BF, PF, and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI^?) to yield a series of hydrophobic PILs. Thermogravimetric analyses indicate that PVBn(alkyl)ImCl homopolymers are unstable above 220 °C, whereas the hydrophobic PILs remain stable up to 290 °C. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) decrease with both increasing alkyl side‐chain length and increasing counterion size, exemplified by T_g = 9 °C for PVBnHexImTFSI. Hydrophilic PILs exhibit high ionic conductivities (as high as ～0.10 S cm^?1) that depend on the relative humidity, water uptake, and the PIL side chain length. The hydrophobic PILs exhibit lower conductivities (up to ～5 × 10^?4 S cm^?1) that depend predominantly on the polymer T_g, however, counterion size and symmetry also contribute. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 49: 1287–1296, 2011     

Gas phase rate coefficients and activation energies for the reaction of butanal and 2‐methyl‐propanal with nitrate radicals

Rate coefficients have been determined for the reaction of butanal and 2‐methyl‐propanal with NO₃ using relative and absolute methods. The relative measurements were accomplished by using a static reactor with long‐path FTIR spectroscopy as the analytical tool. The absolute measurements were made using fast‐flow–discharge technique with detection of NO₃ by optical absorption. The resulting average coefficients from the relative rate experiments were k = (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10⁻¹⁴ and k = (1.2 ± 0.2) × 10⁻¹⁴ (cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) for butanal and 2‐methyl‐propanal, respectively. The results from the absolute measurements indicated secondary reactions involving NO₃ radicals and the primary formed acyl radicals. The prospect of secondary reactions was investigated by means of mathematical modeling. Calculations indicated that the unwanted NO₃ radical reactions could be suppressed by introducing molecular oxygen into the flow tube. The rate coefficients from the absolute rate experiments with oxygen added were and k = (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10⁻¹⁴ and = (0.9 ± 0.1) × 10⁻¹⁴ (cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹) for butanal and 2‐methyl‐propanal. The temperature dependence of the reactions was studied in the range between 263 and 364 K. Activation energies for the reactions were determined to 12 ± 2 kJ mole⁻¹ and 14 ± 1 kJ mole⁻¹ for butanal and 2‐methyl‐propanal, respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 32: 294–303, 2000     

Cp2TiCl‐catalyzed living radical polymerization of styrene initiated from peroxides

The effects of the reaction conditions and nature of the initiator were investigated in the Cp₂Ti(III)Cl‐catalyzed living radical polymerization of styrene initiated by benzoyl peroxide (BPO), tert‐butyl peroxide (TBPO), tert‐butyl peroxybenzoate (TBPOB), dicumyl peroxide (CPO), and tert‐butylperoxy 2‐ethylhexyl carbonate (TBPOEHC). The reversible termination of the growing chains with Cp₂Ti(III)Cl affords a linear dependence of molecular weight on conversion over a wide range of temperatures (60–120 °C) with an optimum in polydispersity (M_w/M_n < 1.2) for St/BPO/Cp₂TiCl₂/Zn = 100/1/3/6 at 60–90 °C. The similarity of the kinetic parameters from polymerizations initiated by peroxides with vastly different half‐life times (t = 1 h, t = 543 h) and the minimum peroxide/Ti = 1/2 ratio required for a living process indicate that initiation occurs primarily by the redox reaction of the peroxide with Cp₂Ti(III)Cl rather than peroxide thermal decomposition. This is consistent with one Ti equivalent consumed in the redox initiation and the second one utilized in the reversible termination of the growing chains. Qualitatively, based on the livingness of the process, these initiators ranked as BPO > TBPOB ～ TBPO > CPO > TBPOEHC. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1106–1116, 2006     

Kinetics and mechanism of the cationic polymerization of trioxane. I. Crystallization during polymerization

Cationic polymerizations of trioxane in 1,2‐ethylene dichloride and benzene were heterogeneous and reversible. Phase separation accompanying with crystallization occurred during the polymerization. Three morphological changes were found in the course of the polymerization as were investigated by dilatometry and precipitation method. Based on the findings of morphological changes and three reversible processes for the polymerization, a rate equation was proposed to describe the polymerization. The proposed rate equation was fairly good in describing the experimental data, and kinetics constants including K_p, K_d, K_p′, K_d′, M, M, and K_dis/K_cr for the polymerization at 30, 40, and 50°C in 1,2‐ethylene dichloride and benzene were obtained. Factors that affected the kinetics constants were discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 483–492, 1999     

Magnesium chloride supported high mileage catalysts for olefin (decene-l) polymerization XIV. Propagation and chain transfer

Decene-l was polymerized with the MgCl₂/ethylebenzoate/p-cresol/AIEt₃/TiCl₄-AlEt₃/methyl-p-toluate catalyst at 50° using an A/T ratio of 167 and a range of monomer concentration. The concentration of the two kinds of active sites are [Ti] = 12% and [Ti] = 4% of the total titanium. The rate constants of propagation are 24 M^?1 s^?1. Chain transfers to AIEt₃, monomer, and by β-hydride elimination have rate constant values of 1.7 × 10^?3 M^?1 s^?1, 1.34 × 10^?2 M^?1 s^?1, and 1.7 × 10^?2 s^?1, respectively. Poly(decene-l) have relatively narrow MW which are unchanged during the course of a polymerization. Therefore, the active site concentrations in the CW catalyst for propylene and decene polymerization are identical and their rate constant values agree within a factor of 2. However, the rate of decene polymerization depends on fractional order of monomer concentration and decreases with the increase of activator concentration. Furthermore, the formation of metal polymer bonds has a rate independent of these concentrations. These kinetic behaviors are a manifestation of absorption processes of these species which are not seen in propylene polymerizations.