Preparation and (13C)NMR spectroscopy of stereoregular poly(methacrylic acid)

Several procedures for synthesis of stereoregular poly(methacrylic acid) have been examined and the polymer characterized by (¹³C)NMR. Using d⁶ DMSO as solvent for spectroscopy gives better spectra than those previously obtained using aqueous solutions and stereochemical splittings can be resolved in the methyl signals. Free-radical polymerization in toluene solution is a Bernouilli process giving mainly heterotactic/syndiotactic polymer. Polymers produced with free-radical initiation in aqueous solution have a higher, and pH dependent, content of syndiotactic triads. A previously described procedure for producing regular polymers by hydrolysis of poly(trimethylsilyl methacrylate) requires modification to produce isotactic contents of above 90% and does not give truly syndiotactic polymer. In contrast, polymerization with γ-radiation can produce polymers with close to 90% of syndiotactic triads.     

Effect of tacticity and morphology on the formation of persistent electrical polarization in polar polymer membranes

Persistent electrical polarization (heterocharged electret formation) has been studied as a function of stereotacticity, crystallinity, and molecular weight in membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) prepared via different synthetic routes. Membranes of PVA–sodium polystyrenesulfonate (PSSNa) and PVA–poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) copolymers and PVA–PVAc–PSSNa were also investigated. The degree of persistent polarization a pure PVA membrane can support, was found to vary according to isotactic > syndiotactic > heterotactic triad concentrations. Increases in crystallinity tend to decrease persistent polarization, and such changes in crystallinity are probably responsible for the above observed order, since measurements of persistent polarization on noncrystalline PVA–PSSNa membranes were found to vary according to syndiotactic > heterotactic > isotactic with regard to the PVA. Within PVA–PSSNa membranes the presence of acetate groups reverses the behavior of PSSNa from anhancer to an inhibitor of electret formation. The results all support a model in which heterocharged electret formation involves an ion displacement in the direction of the applied field and stabilization of this ion displacement by local hydrogen bonding.     

Stereoregular poly(methacrylic acids)

A convenient method is described for the preparation of isotactic and syndiotactic poly(trimethylsilyl methacrylates) by using the monomer trimethyl silyl methacrylate and butyllithium initiation in toluene and tetrahydrofuran, respectively. The structure of these polymers enables complete hydrolysis to the corresponding poly(methacrylic acids), which were characterized with respect to tacticity and molecular weight. The asymmetric induction in toluene produced 89% isotactic polymer, while that in tetrahydrofuran gave polymer <90% syndiotactic and heterotactic in terms of triads. A method of fractionation of the polyelectrolytes by gel-permeation chromatography on a preparative scale was shown to be applicable.     

Local chain‐configuration dependence of the mechanisms of the chemical reaction of poly(vinyl chloride). IX. Novel results on stereoselectivity of chlorination reaction

A poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sample was chlorinated in solution in the presence of 2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile and by the fluid‐bed method. The aim was to evaluate the scope of the stereoselectivity of the chlorination reaction. The quantitative microstructural analysis of the residual PVC with a degree of chlorination was followed by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. From the evolution of the content of isotactic (mm), heterotactic (mr), and syndiotactic (rr) triads and of mmmm, mmmr, and rmmr isotactic pentads in the unchlorinated parts of the polymer, it was unambiguously inferred that the chlorination reaction proceeds by a stereoselective mechanism in that the mr heterotactic triads are the most reactive structures followed by the isotactic triad at mmmr and rmmr pentads. This conclusion was confirmed on the basis of the Fourier transform infrared results. The results provide valuable information regarding the effect of tacticity and related local conformations in the chemical reactions of PVC. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 508–519, 2003     

NMR study of poly(vinyl formate)

The high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of poly(vinyl formate), yielded, upon examination at 100 Mc./sec., and under the conditions of decoupling, information on the three tactic forms present. The normal and decoupled spectra indicate that only the CHO resonance is sensitive to the stereochemical configuration. The three components of the CHO resonance are tentatively assigned to isotactic (i), heterotactic (h), and syndiotactic (s) triads with increasing field strength, respectively. This assignment was made on the basis of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl acetate) derived from poly(vinyl formate). The results show that the tacticity is slightly dependent upon the temperature of free-radical polymerization.     

Stereoregularity of poly(2-vinylpyridine) determined by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy

In order to determine the stereoregularity of poly(2-vinylpyridine), 2-vinylpyridine-β,β-d₂ was synthesized. The ¹H-NMR spectra of the deuterated polymer in D₂SO₄ and o-dichlorobenzene solutions showed three peaks, which were assigned to triad tacticities. Since the absorptions of heterotactic and syndiotactic triads of methine protons overlap those of methylene protons in nondeuterated polymers, only isotactic triad intensities can be obtained from the ¹H-NMR spectra of nondeuterated poly(2-vinylpyridine). The ¹³C-NMR spectra of poly(2-vinylpyridine) were obtained in methanol and sulfuric acid solutions. In methanol solution the absorption was split into three groups, which cannot be explained by triads, and in sulfuric acid solution several peaks were observed. These splittings may be due to pentad tacticity. The results show that poly(2-vinylpyridine) obtained by radical polymerization is an atactic polymer.     

Stereoregularity of poly(vinyl ether)

α-Methylvinyl isobutyl and methyl ethers were polymerized cationically and the structure of the polymers was studied by NMR. Poly(α-methylvinyl methyl ether) polymerized with iodine or ferric chloride as catalyst was found to be almost atactic, whereas poly(α-methylvinyl isobutyl ether) polymerized in toluene with BF₃OEt₂ or AlEt₂Cl as catalyst was found to be isotactic. In both cases, the addition of polar solvent resulted in the increase of syndiotactic structure as is the case with polymerization of alkyl vinyl ether. tert-Butyl vinyl ether was polymerized, and the polymer was converted into poly(vinyl acetate), the structure of which was studied by NMR. A nearly linear relationship between the optical density ratio D₇₂₂/D₇₃₆ in poly(tert-butyl vinyl ether) and the isotacticity of the converted poly(vinyl acetate) was observed.     

Effect of temperature and solvents on stereospecific polymerization of vinyl alkyl ethers catalyzed by aluminum sulfate–sulfuric acid complex

The effect of polymerization temperature and solvents was determined on the crystallinity of polymers of vinyl isobutyl ether and of vinyl n-butyl ether prepared with aluminum sulfate–sulfuric acid complex catalyst. Principally, the methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)-insoluble fractions of these polymers were used for characterization. Density, per cent crystallinity by x-ray diffraction, infrared ratio, and dilatometric volume contraction of these polymer fractions were used as criteria of crystallinity. The MEK-insoluble fractions of poly(vinyl n-butyl ethers) prepared in carbon disulfide in the temperature range of ?30 to +25°C did not show any significant difference in the values of the above crystallinity parameters. The polymer obtained at 50°C. was less crystalline than the rest of the polymers. The MEK-insoluble fractions of poly(vinyl isobutyl ethers) prepared at 0–50°C. in carbon disulfide and n-heptane solvents also did not significantly differ in their degree of crystallinity. They were, however, decidedly less crystalline than the MEK-insoluble fractions of the corresponding polymers obtained at ?20°C. These data a indicate that on increasing the temperature of polymerization the crystallinity of the polymers was either unchanged or decreased slightly. The polymerizations of vinyl n-butyl ether and vinyl isobutyl ethers were also carried out in binary mixtures of carbon disulfide with n-heptane, chlorobenzene, and MEK. Generally, increasing the concentration of carbon disulfide increased the inherent viscosities of polymers as well as the weight percentage of their MEK-insoluble fractions. The MEK-insoluble fraction of poly(vinyl isobutyl ether) prepared in carbon disulfide-MEK mixture (volume ratio 2:1) was isotactic and highly crystalline. Likewise, the MEK-insoluble fractions of two polymers of vinyl n-butyl ether prepared in MEK itself were also isotactic and highly crystalline. Compared to poly(tetramethylene oxide), these latter fractions exhibited less dependence of rate of crystallization upon temperature. Consequently, at low degrees of supercooling they crystallize much more rapidly than does poly(tetramethylene oxide).     

Free-radical polymerization of vinyl esters using fluoroalcohols as solvents: Effect of monomer structure on stereochemistry

Free-radical polymerization of vinyl esters including vinyl propionate (VPr), vinyl isobutylate (ViBu), vinyl 2,2-dimethylbutylate (VDMB), vinyl 2,2-dimethylvalerate (VDMV), vinyl 2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)propionate (VF6Pi), and vinyl benzoate (VBz) was carried out using fluoroalcohols as solvents, and the tacticity of the obtained polymers was determined by NMR analysis of the produced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The polymerization of VPr, ViBu, VDMB, and VDMV, which are bulkier than VAc, in fluoroalcohols afforded polymers rich in heterotacticity (up to mr = 61%) similar to that of vinyl pivalate (VPi) whereas VAc is known to give a syndiotactic polymer under the reaction conditions used here. The polymerization of VF6Pi, which is the bulkiest among the monomers used in this study, gave a polymer rich in syndiotacticity in bulk and in fluoroalcohols regardless of the structure of the solvents. On the other hand, the polymerization of VBz in fluoroalcohols gave polymers with a higher isotacticity (up to mm = 33%) than bulk polymerization. Thus the monomer structure strongly affected the stereochemistry of the free-radical polymerization of vinyl esters in fluoroalcohols. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2677–2683, 1999     

NMR study of model compounds of vinyl polymers

Complicated NMR spectra of vinyl polymers provide conformational and configurational knowledge of the polymers in solution. Explicit expressions for the spectral frequencies and intensities are obtained by the analysis of vinyl polymers and their model compounds as weakly coupled systems. The classified spectra expected for common vinyl polymers are presented by using the results of the analysis. The analysis is applied to model compounds of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinyl acetate) in solution. The results show that conformations of poly(vinyl alcohol) are determined by the intramolecular hydrogen bonding so that the syndiotactic isomer forms a helical structure, the isotactic one a planar zigzag structure. The poly(vinyl acetate) produces a helical structure for isotactic isomer by the repulsion of side chains and a planar zigzag for the syndiotactic isomer.     

Fluorine NMR spectra of poly(vinyl trifluoroacetate)

Samples of poly(vinyl trifluoroacetate) with differing stereosequences have been prepared. The NMR signals at 56.4 Mc./sec. corresponding to the three types of triadstereosequences of the trifluoroacetate groups (isotactic, heterotactic, and syndiotactic) can be resolved. The results for specific polymers are discussed.     

Synthesis and characterization of some trithiols

The preparation of 1,3,5-pentanetrithiol is described to provide model systems for poly(vinyl mercaptan). In addition, the preparation and identification of the three stereoisomers of 2,4,6-heptanetriol are reported as models for isotactic, syndiotactic, and heterotactic poly(vinyl mercaptan).     

Reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) with formaldehyde and polymer stereoregularity. Model compounds

The reaction of stereoisomers of pentane-2, 4-diol and heptane-2, 4, 6-triol with formaldehyde was investigated as a model for the formalization reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) in order to determine effect of the stereochemical configuration of the polyol molecules on the reaction. The isotactic (meso) diol portion reacted with formaldehyde to give cis-formal several times faster than did the syndiotactic (dl) diol portion to give trans-formal at 30–80°C. In the reaction of heterotactic (meso-dl) triol which provides both the isotactic and syndiotactic diol portions in a molecule, the proportion of trans-formal in the total formal decreased as the reaction proceeded. This shows that the formation of cis-formal is also favored thermodynamically to a greater extent, and hence the intramolecular migration of trans-formal to cis-formal did occur during the reaction. The rates of hydrolysis of formals of the diols were compared with those of the triols in order to see the effect of a hydroxyl group adjacent to the formal ring on the reaction. No appreciable rate difference was observed between the dimer and trimer models both in cis- and trans- formals. Therefore it was deduced from these results that the increase of the rate of hydrolysis of poly(vinyl formal) with the increase of hydroxyl groups along the polymer chain is a characteristic of macromolecules that is not observed in the low molecular weight models.     

Stereoregularity of poly(methyl methacrylate) prepared by aqueous polymerization and catalyzed by corundum

The aqueous polymerization of methyl methacrylate was carried out in the absence and in presence of corundum or carborundum at 25 and 80°C. In the absence of corundum and carborundum, it has been found that rising the polymerization temperature from 25 to 80°C resulted in changing the tacticity of the obtained polymers. At 25°C the isotactic triad was 26% while the heterotactic triad was 33.5% and the syndiotactic one was 40.5%. Increasing the polymerization temperature to 80°C resulted in a decrease of the isotactic structure to 0% and increased the heterotactic structure and syndiotactic structure to 48 and 52% respectively. Polymerizing at 25°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) an increase in the syndiotactic triad took place from 40.5 to 50.7% while the isotactic triad decreased from 26 to 22.2% and the heterotactic structure decreased from 33.5 to 27%. Raising the polymerization temperature to 80°C in the presence of the same amount of corundum resulted in an increase in both the isotactic and heterotactic triads to 35 and 32.7%, respectively. Polymerizing at 80°C in presence of corundum (0.5 g) resulted in nearly an equal percentage of each triad 33%.     

Synthesis of poly(vinylamine) containing asymmetric nucleic acid base derivatives as grafted pendants

The preparations of new model polymers of polynucleotides with stereoregular poly(vinylamine) (PVAm) backbones and an optically active nucleic acid base derivative as a pending side chain are described. The grafting of (±)-, (+)-, and (?)-2-(thymin-1-yl) propionic acid to linear PVAm prepared either by hydrolysis of poly(vinyl acetamide) or poly(vinyl-t-butyl carbamate) has proven to be more difficult than the case of polyethyleneimine. This may be due to a combination of the low solubility and steric factors of PVAm. PVAm formed a complex with oximes such as ethyl-2-hydroxyimino cyanoacetate (EHICA), which activates the amino group of PVAm; it became soluble in polar solvents and gave higher percent graft. These carboxylic acid derivatives were grafted onto PVAm through amide bonds by direct coupling with sulfonic acid esters of hydroxybenzotriazoles to give optically active graft polymers. These coupling agents were found to be much superior reagents than DEPC regarding racemization. The related monomer and dimer model compounds were also prepared by the same method from 3-aminopentane and (?)-, (+)-, and meso-2,4-diaminopentane, respectively. The dimer models were separated and purified by HPLC to give models for isotactic, heterotactic, and syndiotactic polymer models. The enantiomeric purity of the optically active monomer model was determined by 360-MHz NMR spectroscopy using optically active shift reagents.     

Correlation of thermal degradation mechanisms: Polyacetylene and vinyl and vinylidene polymers

The thermal degradation of poly(vinyl bromide) (PVB), poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), poly(vinyl fluoride) (PVF), poly(vinylidene chloride) (PVC₂), and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVF₂) has been studied by direct pyrolysis–mass spectrometry (DP-MS) and flash pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry techniques. Vinyl and vinylidene polymers exhibit two competitive thermal degradation processes: (1) HX elimination with formation of polyene sequences which undergo further moleculaar rearrangements, and (2) main-chain cleavage with formation of halogenated or oxigenated compounds. The overall thermal degradation process depends on the prevailing decomposition reaction in each polymer; therefore, different behaviors are observed. The thermal degradation of polyacetylene (PA) has also been studied and found important for the elucidation of the thermal decomposition mechanism of the title polymers.     

Stereoregularity of poly(isopropyl acrylate) and its racemization during hydrolysis

The diad tacticity of poly(isopropyl acrylate) was measured from the β-proton absorptions of poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂) obtained with a 100 MHz NMR spectrometer, and temperature dependence of the tacticity of the polymers obtained by radical polymerization was determined. Enthalpy and entropy differences between isotactic and syndiotactic addition for poly(isopropyl acrylate) were calculated to give the following values: Δ(ΔS) = 0.7 eu; Δ(ΔH) = 0.51 kcal/mole. In the hydrolysis of poly(isopropyl acrylate-α,β-d₂), it was found that the rate of hydrolysis of poly(isopropyl acrylate) was dependent on the molecular weight rather than on the tacticity. As for the rate of racemization during hydrolysis, the rate for syndiotactic polymer was much faster than that for the isotactic polymer. The exchange reaction of deuterium at α-position with hydrogen occurred in all the polymers during hydrolysis reaction.     

A proposal on the steric course of propagation in the homogeneous cationic polymerization of vinyl and related monomers

A stereochemical scheme of propagation was proposed for polymerizations of vinyl and related monomers by Friedel-Crafts catalysts. For the cationic propagation proceeding via the simple carbonium ion pair, the following two factors were considered to be of primary importance in determining the steric course of propagation: (1) the conformation of the last two units of the propagating polymer segment and the direction of approach of the incoming monomer; (2) the tightness of the growing ion pair. Thus, the front-side (less hindered site) attack to the carbonium ion gives rise to a syndiotactic placement and the back-side attack an isotactic placement. The present model can satisfactorily explain the effects of substituents, catalysts, polymerization media, and polymerization temperature on the steric structure of polymers in cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers. Extension of the scheme to polymerization of the β-substituted vinyl ethers in nonpolar solvents predicts formation of the diisotactic structures consistent with the experimental result. The influences of the polymerization condition on the steric structure of polymer were studied for cationic polymerizations of α-methylstyrene at low temperatures. Highly syndiotactic polymers were obtained for homogeneous reactions in toluene-rich media. The isotactic unit increased by increasing the content of methylcyclohexane in the solvent mixture. The effect of catalysts, though insignificant in toluene-rich media, was clearly noted in methylcyclohexane-rich media, less active catalysts (e.g., SnCl₄) yielding higher amounts of the isotactic unit than more active catalysts (e.g., AlCl₃). These results can be readily accommodated in the present model.     

Living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers in the presence of added bases: Recent advances

The living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers was carried out with organoaluminum compounds in the presence of various types of esters and ethers (cyclic and acyclic), to find out the suitable added bases available for the living polymerization. The effects of the basicity and steric hindrance of added bases were investigated in detail. On the basis of these results, a fast living polymerization system was realized. To synthesize water-soluble polymers such as thermally-induced phase separating polymers and polyalcohols with well-defined polymer structure, the living polymerization of various vinyl ethers was examined. The aqueous solution of living poly(vinyl ethers) having oxyethylene units exhibited a quite sensitive (ΔT_ps=0.3–0.5°C) and reversible phase separation on heating and cooling. The effects of polymer structures (pendant substituent, polymer sequence, molecular weight, and MWD) on the phase separation behavior were investigated. PVA and block copolymers containing PVA units with a narrow MWD were also prepared via living cationic polymerization of vinyl ethers and a deprotection reaction.     

NMR study of poly-p-isopropyl-α-methylstyrene

220 MHz NMR spectra of sample of poly-p-isopropyl-α-methylstyrene prepared through anionic (A) and cationic (B) polymerizations are studied. Peaks at τ values of 9.07, 9.41, and 9.71 are assigned to isotactic (i), heterotactic (h), and syndiotactic (s) α-methyl triads, respectively. From the α-methyl triads and the β-proton tetrads it is found that polymer A deviates little from Bernoullian statistics and that first-order Markov configurational statistics applies to polymer B. Isopropyl methine and methyl proton resonances are also analyzed in terms of the configurational statistics of the polymer. Resonances of the phenyl protons are assigned with increasing field to s, h, i meta and ortho protons.