Synthesis of a novel centipede-like copolymer of styrene and methyl methacrylate

A well-defined,A2B-type,centipede-like copolymer of styrene and methyl methacrylate(PS-PS-PMMA) was synthesized by the combination of living anionic polymerization and atom transfer radical polym-erization(ATRP) . The synthetic approach involves the coupling reaction of polystyrene(PS) backbone bearing 1,1-diphenylethene(DPE) pendant groups,produced by ATRP and Wittig reaction,with living polystyryllithium(PSLi) ,and subsequent polymerization of the resulting 1,1-diphenylmethyl anions with methy methacrylate. The centipede-like copolymer was characterized by 1H NMR,IR,SEC,SLS,and DSC measurements.     

Synthesis and characterization of linear tetrablock quarterpolymers of styrene,isoprene, dimethylsiloxane,and 2-vinylpyridine

A series of five tetrablock quarterpolymers of styrene, isoprene, dimethylsiloxane, and 2-vinylpyridine with molecular weights varying from 117 × 10³ to 177 × 10³ and having different compositions were synthesized. The synthesis was based on recent advances in the controlled high-vacuum anionic polymerization of hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane and on the selective linking of poly(dimethylsiloxane)lithium with the chlorosilane group of the heterofunctional linking agent chloromethylphenylethylene dimethylchlorosilane. Combined characterization results by size exclusion chromatography, membrane osmometry, and NMR spectroscopy suggested that the synthesized multiblock multicomponent polymers had a high degree of structural and compositional homogeneity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 514–519, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of linear ABC triblock copolymer of ethylene oxide,methyl methacrylate,and styrene

A well‐defined linear ABC triblock copolymer of ethylene oxide (EO), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and styrene (St) was prepared by sequential living anionic and photo‐induced charge transfer polymerization (CTP) using p‐aminophenol as parent compound. In the first step, the diblock copolymer of PEO‐b‐PMMA with a protected aniline end group at PEO end was prepared by initiating of phenoxo‐anion the polymerization of EO and MMA successively, then the diblock copolymer of PEO‐b‐PMMA via deprotection of aniline at PEO end constituted a binary initiation system with benzophenone (BP) by charge transfer complex mechanism to initiate the polymerization of St under UV‐irradiation. The GPC and NMR measurements support that in copolymerization, either in the first or second step, neither homopolymer nor side reactions, such as chain transfer or chain termination, was found. The effect of the concentration of PEO_a‐b‐PMMA and St, and the polarity of solvent on the polymerization rate (R_p) of CTP is discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 825–833, 1999     

End‐capping of polystyrene by aliphatic primary amine by derivatization of precursor hydroxyl end group

A new and very efficient route for the synthesis of aliphatic primary amine terminated polystyrene (PS) is reported. In contrast to most known methods, only traditional commercially available reagents are used. PS is synthesized by anionic polymerization with a lithium counter ion and the living chains are end‐capped by a hydroxyl group upon addition of ethylene oxide followed by protonation. The ω‐hydroxyl end group is tosylated and the tosylate is then reacted with sodium azide. The azide terminal group is finally reduced into primary amine. The different steps of functionalization have been fully characterized by SEC, ToF‐SIMS, FTIR, and ¹H NMR. The amine content (= 98%) has been determined by acid‐base titration with perchloric acid. It clearly shows the efficiency of the synthetic method reported in this article although it is a multistep method. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1618–1629, 2000     

Copolymerization with depropagation: A study of α‐methyl styrene/methyl methacrylate in bulk at elevated temperatures

Previously published material on the α‐methyl styrene/methyl methacrylate (α‐MS/MMA) copolymer system at temperatures above the ceiling temperature of α‐MS has focused on low‐conversion results. Several attempts have been made to estimate copolymer reactivity ratios from experimental data, but in most cases errors are present in the determination of copolymer composition variables. In this article, the results of rigorous parameter estimations, as applied to two sets of equations developed independently by P. Wittmer (Adv Chem 1971, 99, 140–174) and H. Kruger, J. Bauer, and J. Rubner (Makromol Chem 1987, 188, 2163–2175), are discussed. Experimental data for the copolymer system at low conversions, as well as over the full conversion range, are presented, covering a temperature range of 60–140 °C. A comparison of the data trends with traditional copolymer systems indicates that the reversibility of both MMA and α‐MS must be considered when composition, polymerization rate, or molecular weight equations are being developed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1981–1990, 2000     

Synthesis and Characterization of α,ω‐Heterofunctional Poly(ethylene oxide) Macromonomers

A novel α,ω‐heterofunctional poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) macromonomer possessing methacryloyl and thienyl end groups was prepared by ring‐opening polymerization of ethylene oxide initiated by potassium thienylethoxide and termination of the living PEO ends with methacryloyl chloride. Incorporation of methacryloyl and thienyl groups was confirmed by free‐radical and oxidative polymerization processes, respectively, and by means of ¹H NMR analysis.

     

Anionic alternating copolymerization of α‐arylacrylates with methyl methacrylate: Effect of monomer sequence on fluorescence

Anionic polymerizations of acrylates possessing 1‐pyrenyl (Py1), 1‐naphthyl (Np1), 2‐naphthyl (Np2), and 2‐fluorenyl (Fl2) groups as α‐substituents were investigated as well as the properties of the obtained polymers. Py1 and Np1 did not undergo polymerization, whereas Np2 and Fl2, annulated α‐phenylacrylates at 3,4‐position of the phenyl group, afforded homo‐oligomers and alternating copolymers with methyl methacrylate (MMA). The oligomer of Fl2 [oligo(Fl2)] exhibited strong excimer emission in diluted solution. In contrast, dominant monomer emission was observed for the alternating copolymer with MMA [poly(Fl2‐co‐MMA)]. In the alternating copolymer, MMA units could function as spacers preventing the association of pendant fluorene moieties to suppress the excimer formation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2806–2814     

Synthesis and mass spectrometric study of α,ω-diallylpermethyloligosilanes

Representatives of the homologous series of α,ω-diallylpermethyloligosilanes were synthesized for the first time by the reaction of α,ω-dichloropermethyloligosilanes Cl(Me₂Si)_nCl (n = 2–6) with allylmagnesium chloride. Fragmentation of α,ω-diallylpermethyloligosilanes under electron impact ionization was studied by mass spectrometry.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2129–2132, October, 2004.     

Preparation,characterization and copolymerization of the 12‐membered cyclic diamide 1,6‐diazacyclododecane‐2,5‐dione

A 12‐membered cyclic diamide monomer for nylon 64 was successfully synthesized in fairly high yield (～45%). The synthesis conditions were varied to see the effect of the diamine and succinyl chloride reactants on yield. Threefold excess of 1,6‐hexamethylenediamine (HDA) gave the highest yield, while further increasing the amount of HDA decreased the yield. Using N,N‐diisopropylethylamine as acid scavenger resulted in the formation of two different cyclic amides, which were fully analyzed by ¹H and ¹³C solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and mass spectrometry. Copolymerization of cyclic amides with ε‐caprolactam via an anionic route gave a block copolyamide with a two distinct endotherms in the differential scanning calorimetry analysis. However, copolymerization by the hydrolytic route gave only nylon 6 with terminal 64 units. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 96–103     

Ligated anionic block copolymerization of methyl methacrylate with n-butyl acrylate and n-nonyl acrylate as promoted by lithium 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethoxide/diphenylmethyllithium

Poly(methyl methacrylate-b-n-butyl acrylate) (PMMA-b-Pn-BuA) and poly(methyl methacrylate-b-n-nonyl acrylate) (PMMA-b-Pn-NonA) diblock copolymers have been successfully synthesized by the sequential anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and the n-alkyl acrylate (n-BuA or n-NonA), in a 90/10 toluene/tetrahydrofuran (THF) mixture at −78°C. When diphenylmethyllithium (DPMLi) ligated with lithium 2-(2-methoxyethoxy) ethoxide (LiOEEM) is used as the initiator, the polymerization of each block appears to be living. Molecular weight and composition of block copolymers can be predicted from the monomer over initator molar ratio and the molecular weight distribution is narrow. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) supports that no homo-PMMA contaminates the final copolymer. Although the reverse polymerization sequence Pn-NonA-b-PMMA always results in some contamination by homo-Pn-NonA, it has no really significant effect on the final product characteristics. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1543–1548, 1997     

A novel type of optically active helical polymers: Synthesis and characterization of poly(α,β‐unsaturated ketone)

New α,β‐unsaturated ketone monomers, menthyl vinyl ketone (MVK), and 1‐menthylbut‐3‐en‐2‐one (MBEK) were synthesized. The monomers were polymerized using butyllithium as an initiator. The polymer derived from MVK (poly‐MVK) had a tremendous specific optical rotation [α], which was as 32 times large as that of its monomer MVK. Poly‐MVK was confirmed to keep a prevailing helicity of backbone in solution by means of comparing the specific optical rotation and the CD spectra with that of MVK and the model compound such as ethyl menthyl ketone (EMK) and n‐hexyl menthyl ketone (n‐HMK). This conclusion was also confirmed by the fact that the specific optical rotation and the CD signal intensity of poly‐MBEK were not enough large due to backbone flexibility caused by the effective isolation of the main chain from the bulky menthyl. The excess value of one‐handed helicity of poly‐MVK decreased with the increase of polymerization temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1441–1448, 2010     

The effect of solvent on the homo-propagation rate coefficients of styrene and methyl methacrylate

The free radical propagation rate coefficients of both Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) and Styrene (STY) have been measured using Pulsed-Laser Polymerization. The effect of solvents on the propagation rate coefficient, k_p, is reported for several solvents, namely, bromobenzene, chlorobenzene, dimethyl sulphoxide, diethyl malonate, diethyl phthalate, benzonitrile, and benzyl alcohol, at 26.5°C. This preliminary data indicated that benzyl alcohol (BzA) had a large effect on the MMA propagation reaction. As earlier work indicated that N-methyl pyrrolidinone (NMP) would also have a large effect on the k_p of MMA, Arrhenius parameters were evaluated for both MMA and STY at two different concentrations of monomer in BzA and NMP. BzA had a significant effect (at 95% confidence) increasing both the activation energy (E_a) and the preexponential factor (A) for MMA and STY. In NMP, a similar trend is observed for MMA polymerization; however, while a solvent effect on STY was observed, the effect on E_a and A was too small to discern with confidence. A series of additional experiments was performed to evaluate the influence of camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) as an additive in STY polymerization. There was no effect of CSA on k_p, confirming that the strong effect CSA has on “living” radical polymerization of styrene does not originate from complexation leading to an accelerated propagation step but rather by altering the ratio of active-to-dormant chains in the reaction. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2311–2321, 1997     

N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta(methyl acrylate)diethylenetriamine: A novel ligand for atom transfer radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate

A novel ligand, N,N,N′,N′,N″‐penta (methyl acrylate) diethylenetriamine (MA₅‐DETA), was synthesized by the reaction of diethylenetriamine with methyl acrylate in almost quantitive yield. The polymerizations of methyl methacrylate with MA₅‐DETA as the ligand and α,α‐dichlorotoluene (DCT) and ethyl 2‐bromoisobutyrate (2‐EBiB) as the initiators, respectively, under different conditions were examined. The polymerization with CuCl/MA₅‐DETA/DCT was closely controlled in bulk and gave polymers with quite narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n's) of 1.16–1.29. The polymerization with the system CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB in bulk gave high activity. However, the system was not well controlled and gave the polymers with M_w/M_n = 1.35–1.53. The solution polymerization in anisole with CuBr/MA₅‐DETA/EBiB showed a better‐controlled nature. Moreover, the addition of CuBr₂ into the aforementioned system can further improve its controllability. The M_w/M_n's of the resulting polymers ranged from 1.11 to 1.21. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1963–1969, 2004     

α,ω-Diisocyanatocarbodiimides, -Polycarbodiimides,and Their Derivatives

Research in the field of low-molecular weight, oligomeric and polymeric α,ω-diisocyanatocarbodiimides and -polycarbodiimides has been fruitful, not only in connection with these compounds themselves, but also—as so often happens in chemistry—with quite different problems. Novel synthetic methods, discoveries concerning the properties of low-molecular weight carbodiimides and phosphane imide derivatives, as well as results on the fragmentation reactions of four-membered heterocyclic compounds containing oxygen, phosphorus, and nitrogen, and a better understanding of the diisocyanate polyaddition process are among the many by-products of this research. The “high- and low-temperature formation” of polycarbodiimides and the homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis of this process are described, and the fundamental importance of four-membered ring fragmentation mechanisms resulting in the formation of phosphane imide derivatives is outlined. Interesting building blocks for the diisocyanate polyaddition and polycondensation processes can be synthesized by many derivatization reactions of oligomeric and high-molecular weight polycarbodiimides and polyuretonimines. The in situ production of polycarbodiimides via matrix reactions in flexible polyurethane foams leads to a cellular arrangement of the material due to the pronounced symmetrical growth processes. Combination-foams with increased carbonation tendencies are formed in this way. Attention is drawn to several industrial applications of α,ω-diisocyanatopolycarbodiimides, of high-molecular weight cross-linked polyuretonimines, and of polycarbodiimide foams.     

Triblock copolymers and pentablock terpolymers of n‐hexyl isocyanate with styrene and isoprene: Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties

Triblock copolymers and pentablock terpolymers of n‐hexyl isocyanate (H), styrene (S), and isoprene (I) of the type HSH (six samples, M_n:49–163 K, weight % of H:5–59), HIH (two samples, M_n:75 and 83.4 K, weight % of H:16 and 40), HSISH (one sample, M_n:79.4 K, weight % of H:13), and HISIH (one sample, M_n:128 K, weight % of H:25) were synthesized by high‐vacuum techniques in tetrahydrofuran at ?98 °C with the sodium naphthalene/sodium tetraphenylborate initiating system. All materials were characterized by size exclusion chromatography, membrane osmometry, and ¹H NMR. The combined molecular characterization results revealed a high degree of molecular and compositional homogeneity. The thermal properties of the synthesized materials were examined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3094–3102, 2003     

Synthesis and Ring Opening Polymerization of a New Functional Lactone, α‐Iodo‐ε‐caprolactone: A Novel Route to Functionalized Aliphatic Polyesters

A new functional lactone, α‐iodo‐ε‐caprolactone (αIεCL), was synthesized from ε‐caprolactone by anionic activation using a non‐nucleophilic strong base (lithium diisopropylamide) followed by an electrophilic substitution with iodine chloride. Ring‐opening (co)polymerizations of the resulting monomer with ε‐caprolactone were carried out using tin 2‐ethylhexanoate as a catalyst in toluene at 100 °C. Homopolymerization of αIεCL was achieved, and poly(αIεCL) was fully characterized by SEC, ¹H NMR and elemental analysis. Random copolymerizations of αIεCL with εCL were controlled with experimental molecular weights close to the theoretical values, narrow molecular weight distributions and a good agreement between experimental and theoretical molar compositions of αIεCL.

     

Photo‐induced polymerization of methyl methacrylate/cyclodextrin complex in aqueous solution

Polymerization of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HP‐β‐CD) complex of methyl methacrylate (MMA) (MMA/HP‐β‐CD) was carried out under UV irradiation in aqueous solution with Irgacure 2959 (4‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)phenyl‐(2‐hydroxy‐2‐propyl)ketone) as a photoinitiator at room temperature. The effects of some principal factors, including UV irradiation intensity, initiator concentration, and the ratio of HP‐β‐CD to MMA, on the polymerization were investigated in detail. Compared to the corresponding thermal polymerization, photo‐induced polymerization of the MMA/HP‐β‐CD complex could be accomplished at a higher speed; the polymerization conversion in photo‐induced polymerization reached 94% within 30 min, while it was only 62% for the thermal polymerization of 16 hr at 70°C. The number‐average molecular weight (M_n) and polymerization conversion decreased with the increase in UV intensity and initiator concentration. The resulting PMMA precipitated spontaneously from the solution during polymerization in the absence of any precipitator. About 95 wt% of the HP‐β‐CD remained in the solution after polymerization and the reusability of the residual HP‐β‐CD was experimentally demonstrated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adding a Functional Handle to Nature′s Building Blocks: The Asymmetric Synthesis of β‐Hydroxy‐α‐Amino Acids

β‐Hydroxy‐α‐amino acids are not only used by synthetic chemists but are also found in natural products, many of which show anti‐microbial or anti‐cancer properties. Over the past 30 years, chemists have searched for many asymmetric routes to these useful building blocks. Initial attempts to synthesize these compounds utilized chiral auxiliaries and the reactions of glycine equivalents with aldehydes to form two stereocenters in one step. Other methods with the formation of specific intermediates or that were aimed at a specific amino acid have also been investigated. Asymmetric hydrogenation by dynamic kinetic resolution has emerged as a high‐yielding method for the synthesis of an array of modified amino acids with good stereoselectivity. More recently, amino‐acid functionalization and multicomponent reactions have increased the atom economy and simplified many long and difficult routes. In this Focus Review, many of the elegant syntheses of these compounds are explored. The applications of β‐hydroxy‐α‐amino acids in natural‐product synthesis are also mentioned.     

New copolymers of a tautomerizable β‐ketonitrile monomer: Synthesis,characterization and solution tautomerism

The monomer 2‐methyl‐3‐oxo‐5‐phenyl‐4‐pentenonitrile (MOP) was prepared by reaction of ethyl cinnamate and propionitrile in alkaline mixture. This monomer exhibits three possible tautomeric forms. The tautomeric equilibria of MOP and its copolymers with styrene in different solvents were analyzed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The bulk and solution radical copolymerization initiated with azobisisobutyronitrile was carried out at 60 °C. The products were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, HSQC NMR, HMBC NMR, and FTIR spectroscopies. The weight‐average molecular weight and polydispersity index were analyzed with size exclusion chromatography. The monomer reactivity ratios were obtained with the Fineman‐Ross method, obtaining a value of r₁r₂ = 0.286. MOP copolymer composition as well as the nature of the solvent significantly affected the tautomeric equilibrium. Regression analysis of the copolymer composition with solvatochromic parameters showed a good linear correlation, as quantitatively expressed by means of the linear solvation energy relationship using the empirical set of Kamlet‐Taft solvent parameters. This behavior could be attributed to polymer–polymer or polymer‐solvent interactions prevalent in solvents of different polarity, which are responsible for changes in macromolecular chain conformations, as confirmed by FTIR and viscometric studies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012