Alternating copolymerization of isoprene and butadiene with acrylonitrile

Copolymerizations of acrylonitrile and isoprene or butadiene were carried out in the presence of a new catalytic system containing Cr(O-tert-Bu)₄ and AlEtCl₂. It was found that the copolymer compositions have a highly alternating structure, even with varying feed ratios of monomer. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the copolymers obtained with this catalytic system were observed and are discussed in terms of the alternation.     

In situ monitoring of coordination copolymerization of butadiene and isoprene via ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

<正>FTIR spectroscopy in combination with a diamond tipped attenuated total reflectance(ATR) immersion probe was utilized to study in situ the copolymerization of butadiene(Bd) and isoprene(Ip) with neodymium-based catalyst in hexane. The relationship between the signal intensity of monomer and its concentration was investigated.The kinetic study of copolymerization of Bd and Ip was further conducted,and the monomer reactivity ratios were determined via in situ ATR FTIR.The signal band at 1010 cm~(-1) was assigned to wagging vibration of Bd and its intensity was proportional to Bd concentration([Bd]) in the range of 0.46-3.88 mol·L~(-1).The signal bands at 890 and 989 cm~(-1) were assigned to wagging vibration of Ip and the signal intensity was also proportional to Ip concentration([Ip]) in the range of 0.08-4.73 mol·L~(-1) at 890 cm~(-1) and 0.08-7.49 mol·L~(-1) at 989 cm~(-1),respectively.Thus the signal band at 1010 cm~(-1) was chosen to monitor Bd concentration and bands at 989 and 890 cm~(-1) to monitor Ip concentration during the copolymerization,respectively.It was demonstrated that the conversions of Bd and Ip calculated from FTIR data agreed very well with those obtained gravimetrically.The polymerization rates were first order with respect to both[Bd]and[Ip],respectively at different polymerization temperatures.The apparent propagation activation energy for Bd and Ip could be determined to be 54.4 kJ·mol~(-1) and 57.7 kJ·mol~(-1),respectively.The monomer reactivity ratios were calculated to be 1.08 for Bd(r_(Bd)) and 0.48 for IP(r_(Ip)) based on FTIR data.The Bd-Ip copolymer products with random sequence could be obtained with only one glass transition temperature.     

Kinetic study of the alternating copolymerization of butadiene and methyl methacrylate

A kinetic investigation of the alternating copolymerization of butadiene and methyl methacrylate with the use of a system of ethylaluminum dichloride and vanadyl chloride as a catalyst was undertaken. The relation between the polymer yield and the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate in the feed was examined by continuous variation of butadiene and methyl methacrylate, the concentrations of total monomer, ethylaluminum dichloride, and vanadyl chloride being kept constant. This continuous variation method revealed that the polymer yield attains its maximum value with a monomer feed containing less than the 0.5 molar fraction of methyl methacrylate. This value of the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate affording the maximum polymer yield decreased on increasing the total monomer concentration but was not changed on varying the concentration of ethylaluminum dichloride. The number of active species estimated from the relation between yield and molecular weight of the polymer was almost constant, regardless of the molar fraction of methyl methacrylate in the feed. Consequently, it can be said that the maximum polymer yield depends mainly on the propagation reaction, not on the initiation reaction or the termination reaction. Three types of the mechanism have been discussed for this alternating copolymerization: polymerization via alternating addition of butadiene and methyl methacrylate complexed with ethylaluminum dichloride by the Lewis-Mayo scheme; polymerization via the ternary intermediate of butadiene, methyl methacrylate, and ethylaluminum dichloride; polymerization via the complex formation of butadiene and methyl methacrylate complexed with ethylaluminum dichloride occurring only at the growing polymer radical. From the kinetic results obtained, it was shown that the first and third schemes are excluded, and polymerization by way of the ternary intermediate is compatible with the data.     

Copolymerization of ethylene and butadiene with supported titanium catalyst

The copolymerization of ethylene and butadiene with a supported titanium catalyst (TiCl₄/MgCl₂/EB/Φ₂SiCl₂/AlEt₃) is described. The resulting products were characterized by IR, ¹³C-NMR, x-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, electron microscopy, and solvent extraction. It was found that the butadiene units are substantially in trans-1,4 configuration and blocked sequences. Both ethylene and butadiene blocks form crystalline phases. The presence of unsaturated bonds made it possible to graft MMA and maleic anhydride. The influences of monomer composition, temperature, Al/Ti ratio, catalyst concentration, and solvents on the copolymerization were investigated.     

Use of a turbulent prereactor for affecting the site multiplicity of a titanium catalyst for (co)polymerization of butadiene and isoprene

The possibility of using a turbulent prereactor of diffuser-confuser design for directional synthesis of butadiene and isoprene polymers and copolymers on a multisite titanium catalyst was examined. Preliminary forming of the reaction mixture under turbulent conditions decreases the contribution of low- and high-molecularmass modes with smoothing of nonmonotonic dependences of the intermediate-molecular-mass modes on the monomer ratio, which is due to disintegration of catalyst particles.     

Action of butyllithium on butadiene and isoprene sulfolenes

Conclusions The deprotonation of butadiene and isoprene sulfolenes with butyllithium gives the salts of the corresponding 1Z,3-butadiene-1-sulfinic acids.Deceased.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 641–643, March, 1979.     

Reducing consumption of titanium catalyst in stereospecific polymerization of butadiene

The possibility of reducing the consumption of titanium catalyst in butadiene polymerization by using a tubular turbulent prereactor of the diffuser-confuser design in the step of mixing the reaction mixture components was examined.     

Polymerization of butadiene and isoprene in the presence of a titanium catalytic system under ultrasonic irradiation

The ultrasonic irradiation of the reaction mixture during its formation in the polymerization of butadiene and isoprene with a microheterogeneous titanium catalytic system causes acceleration of the process. In this case, the multicenter titanium catalytic system is transformed into a quasi-single-center system and the type of operating center depends on the nature of a polymerizing diene. During the polymerization of butadiene, this effect leads to an increase in the amount of trans-1,4-units and to a decrease in the average molecular masses. In the case of isoprene, the resulting polymer contains a higher amount of cis-1,4-units.     

Kinetic nonuniformity of a titanium catalyst in the polymerization of butadiene: Effect of intensifying stirring of the reaction mixture

Intensification of turbulent stirring of the reaction mixture in the course of butadiene polymerization on a titanium catalyst promotes a successive increase in the rate of reaction with increasing polymer content. Independent of the viscosity of the reaction mixture, the concentration of active centers forming the low-molecular-mass fraction of polybutadiene decreases and the molecular mass distribution narrows. The reactivity distribution of active centers is determined by the hydrodynamic effect, and it does not depend on the increasing viscosity of the reaction mixture. This suggests an insignificant influence of viscosity and, hence, diffusion limitations on the distribution of active centers of polymerization over the probability of chain propagation.     

Syndiospecific copolymerization of styrene with styrene terminated isoprene macromonomer by CpTiCl3-methylaluminoxane catalyst

Copolymerization of styrene with styrene terminated polyisoprene macromonomer (SIPM) by CpTiCl₃-methylaluminoxane (MAO) catalyst has been investigated (Cp: cyclopentadienyl). SIPM was prepared by reaction of living polyisoprene initiated with sec-butyllithium (s-BuLi) and p-chloromethylstyrene. The synthesized macromonomer has a high terminal degree of functionalization and a narrow molecular weight distribution. Graft copolymers of polystyrene-graft-polyisoprene have been synthesized with the CpTiCl₃-MAO catalyst. The synthesized graft copolymer was confirmed to have a highly syndiotactic sequence on the main chain.     

Anionic copolymerization of styrene and isoprene in cyclohexane

The copolymerization of isoprene with styrene initiated with sec-butyllithium in cyclohexane solution has been studied by kinetic methods. The rates of the homopolymerization have been measured by normal methods. The rates of the cross-propagation reactions were measured by the rate of appearance or disappearance of the ultraviolet absorption of polystyryllithium when the individual chain ends were reacted with the opposite monomer in the absence of the first. The rates of some of the reactions were also measured in the presence of the other monomer. It was found that polyisoprenyllithium reacted with both monomers with a one quarter-order dependence, and the polystyryllithium with a one half-order dependence. It was found possible to describe the copolymerization in terms of the four individual rate constants and to predict the initial copolymer composition. It was not found necessary to resort to explanations based on preferential absorption of isoprene around the chain ends to explain the high isoprene content of the copolymer.     

Some aspects of anionic butadiene copolymerization

The relationship between ideal copolymerization behavior and the nature of reactive species in butyllithium (n-BuLi) initiated anionic copolymerization of styrene (St)- butadiene (Bd) in nonpolar solvent has been discussed. The monomer reactivity ratios (m.r.r.) for various reactive species were evaluated by kinetic study and statistical approach (using ¹³C NMR data) in St-Bd anionic copolymerization system with THF as polar additive. The Markovian mechanisms for different propagating reactions in this complex copolymerizing system have been postulated. Furthermore, “pseudo” zero order Markovian mechnism could be sophisticatedly established in the n-BuLi/tertiary amyloxy potassium (t-AmOK)/THF initiated St-Bd copolymerization system, provided that the apparent rate constants of both monomers are equal. Thus, by adjusting the ratio of K/Li and THF/Li, copolymers with composition almost identical to the ratio of initial monomer feed composition at different stages of conversion could be obtained.     

Hydrogenated 1,4-insertion of butadiene in the copolymerization with propylene using an isospecific zirconocene catalyst

Poly(propylene-ran-1,3-butadiene) that contained pendant vinyl groups derived from 1,2-inserted butadiene units was selectively synthesized by rac-dimethylsilylbis(2-methyl-4-phenylindenyl)zirconium dichloride (Ph-Ind) activated with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO) in the presence of hydrogen. The copolymers obtained without hydrogen had 1,2-inserted and 1,4-inserted butadiene units. The addition of hydrogen to the copolymerization improved the activity by approximately 1000-fold and gave the copolymer only with 1,2-inserted butadiene units, of which the content was equal to the copolymer obtained without hydrogen. The 13C NMR analysis of the copolymers clarified that butadiene also inserted into the copolymer as a tetramethylene unit, of which the content was almost the same as that of 1,4-inserted butadiene units observed in the absence of hydrogen. No signal that could be assigned to cyclic structures or long branched side chains was observed. These results indicate that pi-allyl species of zirconocenes formed by 1,4-butadiene insertion at the growing polymer chain ends transformed to the tetramethylene chain end by hydrogenation and continued successive propylene insertion.     

Polymerization of butadiene on a titanium catalyst in formation of a reaction mixture in turbulent flows

Fundamental aspects of the polymerization of butadiene in the presence of a titanium catalyst under intensive agitation of the reaction mixture in the initial stage of polymerization, provided by use of a tubular turbulent divergent-convergent prereactor, were examined.     

Method of composition heterogeneity reduction in copolymer of butadiene with isoprene in ionic coordination polymerization with supported titanium catalysts

Compositional heterogeneity of copolymers of butadiene with isoprene in copolymerization with supported titanium catalyst was investigated. The causes of compositional heterogeneity were found based on solution of an inverse problem of formation of the molecular weight distribution. It was shown that the pre-hydrodynamic effects in a turbulent reactor at the stage of the reaction mixture formation allowed the synthesis of more uniform composition of the copolymer.     

The effect of the disperse composition of a titanium catalyst on the kinetic heterogeneity of isoprene polymerization centers

The kinetic heterogeneity of centers of isoprene polymerization on fractions of titanium catalyst particles is studied. It is found that the isoprene polymerization with a catalyst consisted of particles 0.03–0.14 μm in diameter involves centers of one type with low reactivity. On catalyst particles 0.15–4.50 μm in diameter, the active centers of polymerization of two types with high reactivity may be formed. The addition of modifiers, a reduced temperature of catalyst formation, and the hydrodynamic effect result in the appearance of a narrow fraction of particles 0.15–0.18 μm in diameter with one type of surface active center that generates high-molecular-mass cis-1,4-polyisoprene. The obtained results are in accordance with the concept of particles 0.15–4.50 μm in diameter as aggregates of the elementary crystallites of β-TiCl₃ connected via additional Al-Cl bonds to surface titanium atoms. At the same time, catalyst particles 0.03–0.14 μm in diameter are formed by the minimum number of elementary crystallites, where titanium atoms are bound to a smaller number of chlorine atoms.