Polymerization of coordinated monomers VII. A kinetic study on the alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene using stannic chloride

The alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene in the presence of stannic chloride at ?50°C in toluene was kinetically investigated both under photoirradiation and with the tri-n-butylboron-benzoyl peroxide initiator. The concentrations of the binary and ternary molecular complexes in the copolymerization solution were estimated by use of the equilibrium constants. The rates are found to be proportional to the 1.5th and 1.0th orders of the concentration of the ternary molecular complex composed of stannic chloride, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, under photoirradiation and with initiator, respectively. The conversion increases proportionally with the polymerization time, while the degree of polymerization is constant irrespective of the time. The rates depend linearly upon the square root of the intensity of the incident light and upon the concentration of tri-n-butylboron, respectively. The alternating copolymerization is confirmed experimentally to precede the homopolymerization of the monomer charged in large excess both under photoirradiation and with initiator. The kinetic results indicate consistently that the alternating copolymerization proceeds through the homopolymerization of the ternary molecular complex in the steady state with a bimolecular termination. Both the conventional radical mechanism and the double complex mechanism are unsuitable for the present alternating copolymerization.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XIX. Kinetic study of the alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene by boron trichloride

Alternating copolymerizations of methyl methacrylate with styrene in the presence of boron trichloride at 0°C in 1,2-dichloroethane were carried out by using benzoyl peroxide as an initiator. Conversion increased proportionally with polymerization time, whereas the degree of polymerization was constant irrespective of time. The rate depended linearly on the square root of the concentration of benzoyl peroxide. The equilibrium constants for the formation of the ternary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate, styrene, and boron trichloride in 1,2-dichloroethane at ?20, ?10, and +4°C were determined by ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. The concentrations of the ternary molecular complex in the polymerization mixtures were evaluated from the equilibrium constant of the formation. The rate of the alternating copolymerization was proportional to the first order of the concentration of the ternary molecular complex. The distribution of methyl methacrylate-centered triads in the alternating copolymer was different from that of styrene-centered triads. These results can be explained by a mechanism involving the homopolymerization of a ternary molecular complex.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. X. Kinetic study of alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate and styrene with stannic chloride in dichloroethane

The alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene with the use of stannic chloride was kinetically examined at ?20°C in 1,2-dichloroethane both under photoirradiation and with radical initiator (2:1 tri-n-butylboron-benzoyl peroxide system). At conversions lower than 7%, the conversion increases linearly to the polymerization time, whereas the degree of polymerization is constant irrespective of the polymerization time. The alternating copolymerizations are 1.5 order and the 1.0 order reactions with respect to the ternary molecular complex composed of stannic chloride, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, under photoirradiation and with initiator, respectively. The linear dependences of the rates upon the 0.5 order of the intensity of the incident light and upon the 1.0 order of the concentration of tri-n-butylboron indicate a bimolecular termination. The rate normalized by the 1.5 order of the concentration of the coordinated methyl methacrylate and the rate normalized by the concentration of the coordinated methyl methacrylate are proportional to the 1.5 and 1.0 orders of the charged concentration of styrene, for the copolymerizations under photoirradiation and with initiator, respectively. The kinetic results in the 1,2-dichloroethane solution are quite consistent with those in the toluene solution. The alternating copolymerization mechanism, in which the ternary molecular complex predominantly homopolymerizes as a monomer unit, is confirmed.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XVI. Stereoregulation in the alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene in the presence of metal halides

Triad cotacticities of alternating copolymers of methyl methacrylate with styrene prepared in the presence of zinc chloride, ethylaluminium sesquichloride, and ethylboron dichloride are investigated from the mechanistic point of view by means of ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. The cotacticities from ¹H-NMR spectra are obtained accurately by using α-d-styrene in the place of styrene and by measuring the spectra on the copolymer in o-dichlorobenzene at 170°C. The relative intensities of three peaks of the splitting signal for the methoxy protons in the nonalternating copolymers obtained by the use of benzoyl peroxide in the absence of metal halides agree well with the cotacticity distribution calculated theoretically by the Lewis-Mayo mechanism with the stereoregulation following Bernoullian statistics. The splitting signals in the ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra of the alternating copolymers prepared in the presence of metal halides cannot be explained by the same mechanism. The relative intensities of three peaks of the splitting signals for the methoxy protons and for the carbonyl carbon in the methyl methacrylate unit (the contents of cotactic triads centered by the methyl methacrylate unit) are not equal to those for the aromatic C₁ carbon in the styrene unit (the contents of cotactic triads centered by styrene unit). The value of f²Y - 4fxfz is not equal to zero, where fx, fy, and fz are the cosyndiotactic, coheterotactic, and coisotactic triad contents, respectively, in the alternating copolymer. Copolymers obtained in the presence of zinc chloride are not exactly equimolar alternating but always contain a methyl methacrylate unit in excess, and the relative intensities of the three peaks for the aromatic C₁ carbon change with the copolymer composition. These results are explained by a proposed mechanism: the alternating copolymerization proceeds through the homopolymerization of a ternary molecular complex composed of a metal halide, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, accompanied with the stereoregulation following first-order Markovian statistics; the increase of methyl methacrylate content in the copolymer prepared in the presence of zinc chloride is caused by the participation of the binary molecular complex composed of a metal halide and methyl methacrylate in addition to the ternary molecular complex.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XVII. Alternating copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene by boron compounds

By the use of various boron compounds methyl methacrylate and styrene were copolymerized under photoirradiations at ?20°C. The alternately regulating activities of the boron compounds in the copolymerizations were in the following order: boron trichloride > ethylboron dichloride > boron trifluoride > diethylboron chloride ? triethylboron (?0). Boron trichloride and ethylboron dichloride exhibited such high regulating activities that their presence in 1 mol% in the charged methyl methacrylate was sufficient to complete equimolar alternating copolymerization. The alternating copolymerization proceeded in the steady state. The copolymerization rates decreased in the following order: boron trichloride ? ethylboron dichloride > diethylboron chloride ? triethylboron (?0). The cotacticities of methyl methacrylate-centered triads in the resulting copolymers were identical to those prepared with boron trichloride, ethylboron dichloride, and diethylboron chloride. The mechanism of the alternating copolymerization is discussed.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. VI. Molecular complex formation of methyl methacrylate coordinated to stannic chloride with styrene or toluene

The equilibrium constants for the complex formation between stannic chloride and methyl methacrylate were determined in n-hexane–toluene solution at 0, ?20, and ?30°C by using the absorption band at 350 nm. Continuous variation plots at ?20°C in n-hexane based on the ¹H-chemical shifts definitely show a 1:1 interaction between the coordinated methyl methacrylate and styrene or toluene. The magnitudes of the shifts for the four groups of protons in methyl methacrylate are found to be in a specific ratio in common with the 1:2 complex–styrene or -toluene system. The equilibrium constants for the ternary molecular complex formation between the 1:2 complex and styrene or toluene were determined in n-hexane in the temperature range ?50 to +20°C by use of the chemical shifts. The concentrations of the complex species in the alternating copolymerization solutions were estimated by use of the equilibrium constants. There is a linear relationship between the enthalpy and the entropy changes for the ternary molecular complex formation, which is governed by the enthalpy factor. The specificity of the interactions indicates a specific time-averaged orientation of benzene ring to the coordinated methyl methacrylate. The effects of the coordination of methyl methacrylate to stannic chloride were discussed on the basis of results of ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XIV. Systematic deviations from alternating regulation in copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with styrene in the presence of metal halides

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) and styrene (St) copolymerize in the presence of zinc chloride at 3°C under photoirradiation. The contents of methyl methacrylate in the copolymers obtained at a [ZnCl₂]/[MMA] molar ratio of 0.4 are systematically larger than 53 mole %, which is the limiting value at a small feed ratio of methyl methacrylate. The resulting copolymers are confirmed as the sole products and not the mixtures by thin layer chromatography. The effect of dilution of the monomer feed mixture with toluene on copolymer composition suggests that it depends chiefly on the feed concentration of styrene and hardly at all on monomer feed ratios. Copolymerizations are also conducted in the presence of stannic chloride at ?17°C under photoirradiation and in the presence of ethylaluminium sesquichloride at 0°C with spontaneous initiation. The contents of methyl methacrylate in both copolymers obtained at feed ratios lower than 60 mole % almost correspond to the 1:1 alternating copolymer and increase systematically with higher feed ratios. The systematic deviations of copolymer composition obtained in the presence of metal halides are reasonably interpreted by the participation of the binary molecular complex composed of metal halide and methyl methacrylate in the polymerization of the ternary molecular complex composed of metal halide, methyl methacrylate, and styrene.     

Polymerization of complexed monomers. II. Alternating copolymers of indene with methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate

Indene has been copolymerized with polar monomers in the presence of ethylaluminum sesquichloride. The polymers have molecular weights in the 7,000–10,000 range and soften at temperatures above 150°C. The NMR spectra of the copolymers are discussed with reference to polymer structures and chain conformations. Indene is comparable to cyclopentene in reactivity in copolymerizations with methyl acrylate but is much more reactive than cyclopentene toward methyl methacrylate.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XVIII. Sequence distribution in methyl acrylate–styrene copolymers prepared in the presence of zinc chloride

Methyl acrylate and styrene have been copolymerized in the presence of zinc chloride either by photoinitiation or spontaneously. The copolymerization mechanism is investigated by analyses of copolymers composition and monomer sequence distribution. The resulting copolymers are not always alternating, their composition being dependent especially on the monomer feed ratio. Appreciable deviation to higher methyl acrylate unit content from an equimolar composition occurs at monomer feed fractions of methyl acrylate over 0.7. The larger deviation is induced by higher temperature, by photoirradiation, and by greater dilution of the reaction mixture with toluene. The ¹³C-NMR spectrum of the alternating copolymer shows a sharp singlet at the carbonyl region, whereas the spectra of random copolymers prepared by benzoyl peroxide initiation at 60°C show a triplet splitting at the carbonyl carbon region, irrespective of copolymer composition. The relative intensities of the triplet peaks for the random copolymers are in good correspondence to the contents of triad sequences calculated by means of conventional radical copolymerization theory. These results clearly indicate that the carbonyl splitting is caused predominantly by variation of the monomer sequence and not by variation of the stereosequence. The monomer sequence distribution in the copolymers is thus directly and quantitatively measured from the split carbonyl resonance. Although the same triplet splitting appears in the spectra of methyl acrylate–rich copolymers prepared in the presence of zinc chloride at high feed ratios (>0.7) of methyl acrylate, the relative intensities of the split peaks do not fit the sequence distributions of random copolymers calculated by means of the Lewis–Mayo equation. The copolymerization yielding these peculiar sequences and the alternating sequence in the presence of zinc chloride is fully comprehended by a copolymerization mechanism proceeding between two active coordinated monomers, i.e., the ternary molecular complex composed of zinc chloride, methyl methacrylate, and styrene, and the binary molecular complex composed of zinc chloride and methyl methacrylate.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XX. Ab initio molecular orbital study on the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trichloride

The stereo and the electronic structures of methyl methacrylate and the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trichloride are determined by quantum chemical calculations based on ab initio molecular orbital methods with the STO-3G basis set. The Stable structures of methyl methacrylate in the free state are a transoid from and a cisoid form. The transoid form is slightly (0.5 kcal/mol) more stable than the cisoid form. The total energy change accompanying binary molecular complex formation is calculated to be ?43 kcal/mol. The most stable structure of the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trichloride is a twisted form in which the dihedral angle between the vinyl group and the ester group is 19.7°. A large amount of electron transfer from methyl methacrylate to boron trichloride is calculated to occur on binary molecular complex formation. Mulliken's population analysis shows the electron transfer to be the origin of the twist of the binary molecular complex. The energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is substantially lowered by the coordination of boron trichloride.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. XXI. Ab initio molecular orbital study on the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trifluoride

The stereo- and electronic structures of the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trifluoride are obtained by using an ab initio molecular orbital method with an STO-3G basis set. The total energy change on the binary molecular complex formation is ?1.3 X 10^?2 Hartree (?8.2 kcal/mol). The electron transfer from methyl methacrylate to boron trifluoride and the change in the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of methyl methacrylate on the complex formation with boron trifluoride are much smaller than those on the complex formation with boron trichloride. A twisted form in which the dihedral angle between the vinyl plane and the ester plane is 16.9° is the most stable structure of the binary molecular complex composed of methyl methacrylate and boron trifluoride. A strong bonding overlap population between a β-hydrogen of methyl methacrylate and a fluorine of boron trifluoride is found in this conformation. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. IV. Copolymerization of methyl methacrylate– and methacrylonitrile–Lewis acid complexes with styrene

Complexes of methyl methacrylate and methacrylonitrile with Lewis acids (SnCl₄, AlCl₃, and BF₃) were copolymerized with styrene at ?75°C under irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp in toluene solution. The resulting copolymers consisted of equimolar amount of methyl methacrylate or methacrylonitrile and styrene, regardless of the molar ratio of monomers in the feed. NMR spectroscopy showed the copolymers to have an alternate sequence. The tacticities of the copolymers varied with the complex to have an alternate sequence. The tacticities of the copolymers varied with the complex species: the copolymer from the SnCl₄ complex system had a higher cosyndiotactieity, while those from the AlCl₃ and the BF₃ complex systems showed coisotacticity to predominate over cosyndiotacticity. NMR spectroscopic investigation of the copolymerization system indicated the presence of a charge-transfer complex between the styrene and the methyl methacrylate coordinated to SnCl₄. The concentration of the charge-transfer complex was estimated to be about 30% of monomer pairs at ?78°C at a 1:1 molar ratio of feed. The growing end radicals were identified as a methyl methacrylate radical for the AlCl₃ complex–styrene system and a styrene radical for the SnCl₄ complex–styrene system by the measurement of the ESR spectra of the copolymerization systems under or after irradation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. The tacticity of the resulting polymer appears to be controlled by the structure of the charge transfer complex. In the case of the SnCl₄ complex a certain interaction of SnCl₄ with the growing end radical seems to be a factor controlling the polymer structure. These copolymerizations can be explained by an alternating charge-transfer complex copolymerization scheme.     

Polymerization of coordinated monomers. V. Polymerization of methyl methacrylate–Lewis acid complexes

The polymerization of the complex of methyl methacrylate with stannic chloride, aluminum trichloride, or boron trifluoride was carried out in toluene solution at several temperatures in the range of 60° to ?78°C by initiation of α,α′-azobisisobutyronicrile or by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The tacticities of the resulting polymers were determined by NMR spectroscopy. Both the 1:1 and the 2:1 methyl methacrylate–SnCl₄ complexes gave polymers with similar tacticities at the polymerization temperatures above ?60°C. With decreasing temperature below ?60°C, the isotacticity was more favored for the 2:1 complex, whereas the tacticities did not change for the 1:1 complex. On the ESR spectroscopy of the polymerization solution under the irradiation of ultraviolet rays at ?120°C, the 1:1 SnCl₄ complex gave a quintet, while the 2:1 SnCl₄ complex gave both a quintet and a sextet. The sextet became weaker with increasing temperature and disappeared at ?60°C. This behavior of the sextet corresponds to the change of the tacticities of polymer for the 2:1 SnCl₄ complex. An intra–intercomplex addition was suggested for the polymerization of the 2:1 complex, which took a cis-configuration on the basis of its infrared spectra. The sextet can be ascribed to the radical formed by the intracomplex addition reaction, while the quintet can correspond to that formed by the intercomplex addition reaction. The proportion of the intracomplex reaction was estimated to be about 0.25 at ?75°C, and the calculated value of the probability of isotactic diad addition of the intracomplex reaction was found to be almost unity.     

Study of radiation-induced polymerization of vinyl monomers adsorbed on inorganic substances. VIII. Polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate adsorbed on aerosil

Aerosil is silica having a purity which is very high compared with that of silica gel and having, unlike silica gel, no micropores. To investigate the effects of impurities and micropores on the radiation-induced polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate adsorbed on silica gel, the radiation-induced polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate adsorbed on Aerosil was carried out. The results of both the styrene–Aerosil 300 system and the methyl methacrylate–Aerosil 300 system were similar to those of the styrene–silica gel and methyl methacrylate–silica gel systems, respectively. This suggests that in the radiation-induced polymerization of both styrene–silica gel and methyl methacrylate–silica gel systems the impurity and the presence of micropores have almost no effects on the reaction mechanism. The effect of aluminum as an impurity was investigated on the styrene–Aerosil MOX 170 system. It was found that aluminum accelerated the cationic polymerization.     

Unperturbed dimensions of random and alternating styrene/n-alkyl methacrylate copolymers

The steric factors σ of homopolymers of ethyl, n-butyl, and n-octyl methacrylate, of equimolar random and alternating copolymers of these monomers with styrene, and of polystyrene, were determined by measuring intrinsic viscosities in a good solvent (butanone, 25°C) and extrapolating the data thus obtained to zero molecular weight of the polymer. For all comonomeric pairs under investigation, the σ² of an equimolar random copolymer and, particularly, of an alternating copolymer, is higher than the arithmetic mean (σ + σ)/2 of the σ² values of the parent homopolymers. The positive deviation from the linear dependence of σ² on the copolymer composition, expressed as an increment of σ², is proportional to the mole fraction of alternating dyads in the copolymer chain with in the limits of experimental error. The effect of copolymer microstructure on the unperturbed dimensions of the chains has been compared for equimolar copolymers of styrene with methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, and n-octyl methacrylate by using a relative increment ξ defined as the ratio of σ² of the alternating copolymer to (σ + σ)/2. The dependence of ξ on the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol substituent of the methacrylate component of the copolymer seems to exhibit a maximum for ethyl methacrylate.     

Carbon-chain polymers and copolymers Communication 8. Polymerization of styrene and methyl methacrylate in solution in the presence of tributylboron

Summary The polymerization of methyl methacrylate and styrene in toluene was studied in the presence of tributyl-boron and the basic laws of these processes were determined.