Effect of azoinitiators on nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

In order to clarify the initiator factor dominating the molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymer, the nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate was performed using eight different kinds of azoinitiators: i.e., 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2′-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile), 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 1,1′-azobis(cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), racemic-(2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), meso-(2RS,2′SR)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), dimethyl 2,2′-azobis(2-methylpropionate), and 2,2′-azobis(N-butyl-2-methylpropionamide). The bulk polymerization was carried out at room temperature for 3 h using 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator in the presence of bis(alkylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate as the photo-acid generator. All the initiators provided a molecular weight distribution below 1.7 for the MTEMPO/initiator ratio of 2, although at the ratio of unity, about half of the initiators produced the molecular weight distribution around 2.3–3.4. The UV analysis revealed that the initiators having a higher ε value tended to more strictly control the molecular weight and provide a higher initiator efficiency. The half-lives of the initiators had little effect on the molecular weight control and initiator efficiency.     

Photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of tert-butyl methacrylate in the presence of a photo-acid generator using a nitroxide mediator

The photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of tert-butyl methacrylate was performed using a (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) initiator and a 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) mediator in the presence of a (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate photo-acid generator. The bulk polymerization was carried out at 25 °C by irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. Whereas the polymerization in the absence of MTEMPO produced a broad molecular weight distribution, the MTEMPO-mediated polymerization provided a polymer with a comparatively narrow molecular weight distribution around 1.4 without elimination of the tert-butyl groups. The living nature of the polymerization was confirmed on the basis of the linear correlations for the first-order time–conversion plots and conversion–molecular weight plots in the range below 50% conversion. The block copolymerization with methyl methacrylate also supported the livingness of the polymerization based on no deactivation of the prepolymer.     

Nitroxide-mediated photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of ethyl acrylate

The nitroxide-mediated photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of ethyl acrylate was attained using (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator, 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the mediator, and (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the photo-acid generator. The photopolymerization was performed in acetonitrile at room temperature by irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. The molecular weight distribution of the resulting polymer decreased as the monomer concentration decreased. It was confirmed that the polymerization was controlled on the basis of the linear correlations for the first-order time-conversion plots and the plots of the molecular weight vs. the reciprocal of the initial concentration of the initiator, although the conversion–molecular weight plots did not show a completely linear correlation. The block copolymerization with methyl methacrylate accompanied by no deactivation of the growing polymer chain end supported the livingness of the polymerization.     

Nitroxide-mediated photo-controlled/living radical dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate

The nitroxide-mediated photo dispersion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was performed by irradiation at room temperature using (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator, 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator, (4-tert-butylphenyl)-diphenylsulfonium triflate as the photo-acid generator, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the surfactant in a mixed solvent of methanol/water = 3/1 (v/v). The MTEMPO-mediated photo dispersion polymerization produced spherical particles of PMMA, while the uncontrolled photo dispersion polymerization without MTEMPO provided nonspherical particles. The size distribution of the spherical particles decreased as the PVP concentration increased. The spherical particles showed a comparatively narrow molecular weight distribution of ca. 1.6. The livingness of the polymerization was confirmed on the basis of the linear correlations of the first-order time–conversion plots and conversion–molecular weight plots. The simultaneous control of the size distribution and molecular weight was possible as long as the light penetrates into the particles.     

Stability of growing polymer chain ends for nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization

The stability of the growing polymer chain ends for the nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was explored through block copolymerization with isopropyl methacrylate ( ⁱ PMA). The block copolymerization of ⁱ PMA was performed with the PMMA prepolymer prepared by the photopolymerization of MMA using the racemic-(2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (r-AMDV) as the initiator, 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator, and (4-tert-butylphenyl)-diphenylsulfonium triflate ( ^t BuS) as the photo-acid generator. When the polymerization of MMA was carried out for 6.5 h, the resulting block copolymer showed a bimodal GPC due to the deactivation of part of the growing chain ends of the prepolymer. On the other hand, when the MMA polymerization was shortened to 5 h, the unimodal block copolymer was obtained without deactivation of the prepolymer.     

Graft copolymerization of methyl methacrylate on polystyrene backbone through nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization

Polystyrene-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PSt-graft-PMMA) was prepared by the nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization using poly(4-vinylbenzyl-4-oxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-ran-styrene) (P(VTEMPO-r-St)) as the macromediator. The bulk polymerization of methyl methacrylate was performed at room temperature by irradiation using a high-pressure mercury lamp with P(VTEMPO-r-St) as the mediator having the molar ratio of VTEMPO/St unit = 0.40/0.60 and the molecular weight of Mn = 21,700 and the (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator in the presence of the (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the photo-acid generator. The polymerization proceeded via a controlled polymerization mechanism because both the first-order time-conversion plots and the conversion-molecular weight plots showed linear increases. It was found that all the VTEMPO units supported the controlled PMMA chains by ¹H NMR analysis because the molar ratio of the VTEMPO at the terminal chain end to the 1-cyano-3-methoxy-1,3-dimethylbutyl group at the initiation chain end of the PMMA was unity.     

Synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate)-<Emphasis Type="Italic">block</Emphasis>-poly(tetrahydrofuran) by photo-living radical polymerization using a 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl macromediator

The synthesis of a poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PMMA-b-PTHF) diblock copolymer was attained by the photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) supported on the chain end of poly(tetrahydrofuran) (PTHF) as the macromediator. The polymerization was performed at room temperature by 2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as an initiator in the presence of bis(alkylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate as a photo-acid generator to produce the diblock copolymer consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and PTHF blocks connected through the TEMPO. The polymerization was confirmed to proceed in accordance with a living mechanism based on linear correlations for three different plots of the first order time-conversion, the molecular weight of the copolymer versus the monomer conversion, and the molecular weight versus the reciprocal of the initial concentration of the initiator. The molecular weight distribution of the block copolymer was dependent on the molecular weight of the macromediator based on the miscibility of PMMA and PTHF.     

Nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenyl-sulfonium triflate as a photo-acid generator

The photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was performed at room temperature using (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (r-AMDV) as the initiator, 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator, and (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate ( ^t BuS) as the photo-acid generator. The livingness of the polymerization was confirmed on the basis of linear increases in the ln([MMA]₀/[MMA]_t) vs. time and in the molecular weight vs. the conversion. The molecular weight distributions of the resulting polymers were around 1.45. The polymerization rate was dependent both on the ^t BuS/MTEMPO and MTEMPO/r-AMDV molar ratios. Furthermore, it was found that the polymerization had a photo-latency because the polymerization was retarded by the interruption of the irradiation; however, it was accelerated again by further irradiation without deactivation of the growing polymer chain ends.     

Nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate in solution

The photoradical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was performed in an acetonitrile solution at room temperature using (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator, 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the mediator, and (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the photo-acid generator. This solution polymerization showed a non-steady-state during the very early stage followed by a steady-state. The polymerization produced oligomers with several thousand molecular weights at a very low conversion under the non-steady-state. It was confirmed that the polymerization proceeded in accordance with a living mechanism under the steady-state based on the linear correlations for both the first-order time-conversion plots and the conversion–molecular weight plots. The molecular weight distributions of the polymers obtained in the steady-state were approximately 1.8. The block copolymerization with isopropyl methacrylate ( ⁱ PMA) demonstrated that the growing polymer chain ends of the MMA prepolymer were stabilized even at a high conversion and efficiently initiated the ⁱ PMA polymerization.     

Photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using alkoxyamine as an initiator

The photoradical polymerization of vinyl acetate was performed using 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator in the presence of bis(alkylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate (BAI). The MTEMPO/BAI system using 2,2’-azobis(isobutyronitrile) or 2,2’-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator did not succeed in controlling the molecular weight and produced polymers that showed a bimodal gel permeation chromatography with the broad molecular weight distribution. On the other hand, the polymerization using 1-(cyano-1-methylethoxy)-4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and BAI proceeded by the living mechanism based on linear increases in the first order time–conversion and conversion–molecular weight plots. The molecular weight distribution also increased with the increasing conversion due to cloudiness of the solution as the polymerization proceeded. It was found that the polymerization had a photolatency because the propagation stopped by interruption of the irradiation and was restarted by further irradiation.     

Nitroxide-mediated photo-living radical polymerization of vinyl acetate

The photoradical polymerization of vinyl acetate was performed using 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) as the mediator in the presence of bis(alkylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate (BAI). The MTEMPO/BAI system using 2,2’-azobis(isobutyronitrile) or 2,2’-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator did not succeed in controlling the molecular weight and produced polymers that showed a bimodal gel permeation chromatography with the broad molecular weight distribution. On the other hand, the polymerization using 1-(cyano-1-methylethoxy)-4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine and BAI proceeded by the living mechanism based on linear increases in the first order time–conversion and conversion–molecular weight plots. The molecular weight distribution also increased with the increasing conversion due to cloudiness of the solution as the polymerization proceeded. It was found that the polymerization had a photolatency because the propagation stopped by interruption of the irradiation and was restarted by further irradiation.     

Photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl in the presence of a photo-acid generator

The novel photo-living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was determined using 2,2’-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (AMDV) and 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (MTEMPO) in the presence of bis(alkylphenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate (BAI). The polymerization provided a comparatively narrow molecular weight distribution in the range of 1.4–1.7. The resulting PMMA contained no BAI fragments in its structure and had the 1-cyano-1,3-dimethyl-3-methoxybutyl radical and MTEMPO at the 1:1 molar ratio. The experimental molecular weight was in close agreement with the theoretical one when the initiator efficiency was taken into consideration. The plots of ln([MMA]₀/[MMA]) vs. time and the molecular weight of PMMA vs. the conversion and vs. the reciprocal of the initial concentration of AMDV showed linear correlations, indicating that the polymerization proceeded in accordance with a living mechanism. It was found that the polymerization had a photo-switching ability, because the polymerization was interrupted by turning off the irradiation, and then restarted by the irradiation again.     

Morphology of micron-sized monodispersed poly(butyl methacrylate)/polystyrene composite particles produced by seeded dispersion polymerization

In order to develop the seeded dispersion polymerization technique for the production of micron-sized monodispersed core/shell composite polymer particles the effect of polymerization temperature on the core/shell morphology was examined. Micron-sized monodispersed composite particles were produced by seeded dispersion polymerizations of styrene with about 1.4-μm-sized monodispersed poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (Pn-BMA) and poly(i-butyl methacrylate) (Pi-BMA) particles in a methanol/water (4/1, w/w) medium in the temperature range from 20 to 90 °C. The composite particles, PBMA/polystyrene (PS) (2/1, w/w), consisting of a PBMA core and a PS shell were produced with 2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethyl valeronitrile) initiator at 30 °C for Pn-BMA seed and with 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) initiator at 60 °C for Pi-BMA seed. The polymerization temperatures were a little above the glass-transition temperatures (T _g) of both Pn-BMA (20 °C) and Pi-BMA (40 °C). On the other hand, when the seeded dispersion polymerizations were carried out at much higher temperatures than the T _g of the seed polymers, composite particles having a polymeric oil-in-oil structure were produced. Received: 14 October 1998 Accepted in revised form: 2 June 1999     

Total synthesis of tryprostatins A and B

Three distinct synthetic routes to the 2-prenyl tryptophan core skeleton of tryprostatins and their total syntheses are described. The strategies include a traditional gramine-mediated coupling reaction, Fürstner indole synthesis, and our radical-mediated indole synthesis from o-alkenylphenyl isocyanide. The establishment of reliable conditions for the radical-mediated construction of indoles via a low-temperature radical initiator V-70 (2,2′-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile)) led to the highly efficient syntheses of tryprostatins A and B.     

Photo-controlled/living radical polymerization mediated by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl in inert atmospheres

The photo-controlled/living radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate using a nitroxide mediator was established in an inert atmosphere. The bulk polymerization was performed at room temperature using 4-methoxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl as the mediator and (2RS,2′RS)-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) as the initiator in the presence of (4-tert-butylphenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the accelerator by irradiation with a high-pressure mercury lamp. The photopolymerization in a N₂ atmosphere produced a polymer with a comparatively narrow molecular weight distribution; however, the experimental molecular weight was slightly different from the theoretical molecular weight. The Ar atmospheric polymerization also provided a polymer with the molecular weight distribution similar to that of the polymer obtained by the N₂ atmospheric polymerization. These inert atmospheric polymerizations more rapidly proceeded to produce polymers with narrower molecular weight distributions than the vacuum polymerization. The livingness of the Ar atmospheric polymerization was confirmed on the basis of the first-order time–conversion plots and conversion–molecular weight plots.     

Solid-phase oxidation of 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol and 3,6-Di-tert-butylpyrocatechol in the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metal halides under elastic deformation

Solid-phase oxidation of 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol to give 2,2′,4,4′-tert-butyl-6,6′-bisphenol and of 3,6-di-tert-butylpyrocatechol to afford 3,6-di-tert-butyl-l,2-benzoquinone was performed in the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals halides under conditions of modified extrusion. The formation of the corresponding metal 3,6-di-tert-butylsemiquinolates was registered by ESR method. The different behavior of chlorides, bromides, and iodides was observed and rationalized basing on the dissimilar complexing ability of halogens. The mechanism of activated oxidation was assumed. The study was carried out under financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant no. 96-03-33253a). Deceased.     

Influence of different initiators on methyl methacrylate polymerization,studied by differential scanning calorimetry

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the decomposition rates of four commercially used initiators, 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) 2,2′-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), dilauroyl peroxide and bis(4-t-butylcyclohexyl)peroxydicarbonate, in dynamic mode, while the courses of methyl methacrylate polymerization with the listed initiators at 65, 75 and 85°C were measured isothermally. From the DSC curves, the polymerization enthalpies, the overall reaction rate constants and the activation energies for the initial steady-state polymerization were calculated. It was found that the polymerization enthalpy and the kinetic parameters depended on the type of the initiator. An initiator with a shorter decomposition half-lifetime shifted the onset of the gel effect to a higher conversion, intensified it and decreased the average molar mass of the polymer.     

Synthesis, structures, and properties of spiro[6-azaperimidine-2,4′-cyclohexa-2′,5′-dien]-1′-one derivatives

The reaction of 5-amino-4-chloroquinolines with 4-amino-2,6-di-tert-butylphenol yielded derivatives of spiro[6-azaperimidine-2,4′-cyclohexa-2′,5′-dien]-1′-one, which exhibit photo-and thermochromic properties in solutions. The structure of 2′,6′-di-tert-butyl-5,7,9-trimethylspiro[6-aza,-2,3-dihydroperimidine-2,4′-cyclohexa-2′,5′-dien]-1′-one was established by X-ray diffraction study. The ring-chain isomerization of 2′,6′-di-tert-butyl-5,7-dimethyl-and 2′,6′-di-tert-butyl-5,7,8-trimethylspiro[6-aza-2,3-dihydroperimidine-2,4′-cyclohexa-2′,5′-dien]-1′-ones was studied by dynamic NMR spectroscopy. Deceased. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2028–2034, November, 1997.     

Emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene and acrylamide using an amphoteric initiator

Emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization of styrene (St) and acrylamide (AAm) has been investigated in the presence of an amphoteric water-soluble initiator, 2,2′-azobis[N-(2-carboxyethyl)-2-2-methylpropionamidine]hydrate (VA057). The kinetics of polymerization and the colloidal properties of the resulting latices were studied and compared with the cases using ionic initiators. When adopting the amphoteric initiator at pHs lower than 10, stable amphoteric poly (St/AAm) latices, evidenced by the electrophoretic mobility, were prepared directly. Meanwhile, almost the same conversion versus time curves appeared and there were no apparent differences in the final particle sizes for those polymerizations, whereas in the polymerization at pH 10, a much lower rate of copolymerization and a larger size of particles were observed. The surface charge density and the growth rate of latex particles produced with VA057 at pH<10 were comparable to those of the particles with a cationic initiator, 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride, but were apparently lower than those with an anionic initiator, potassium persulfate, when the polymerizations were carried out under corresponding conditions. The number of initiator fragments incorporated onto the particle surfaces was independent of polymerization pH, except for pH 10. The abnormal performance of VA057 at pH 10 was attributed to its degradation due to hydrolysis. Received: 14 December 1999 Accepted: 22 February 2000     

New sterically hindered di-o-quinones of the biphenyl series

New di-o-quinones of the biphenyl series, namely, 2,2′-dialkyl-5,5′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-3,4,3′,4′-diquinones, were synthesized. Their structures were established by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular structure of 2,2′-dimethyl-5,5′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-3,4,3′,4′-diquinone was established by X-ray structural analysis. The structure is characterized by orthogonal (the torsion angle is 82.9°) mutual arrangement ofo-benzoquinone fragments. ESR studies demonstrated that chemical reduction of diquinone proceeds in four oneelectron stages to form paramagnetic mono- and trianions as intermediates. Quinopyrocatechols, which are intermediates in the synthesis of di-o-quinones, were isolated and characterized. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 4, pp. 804–809, April, 1997.