Anionic polymerization initiated by lithium diethylamide in organic solvents. II. Investigation of the polymerization of isoprene

The polymerization of isoprene, initiated by lithium diethylamide has been investigated in the presence of a number of additives. Kinetic results are interpreted on the basis of simultaneous initiation and propagation reactions. The effect of additives, particularly diethyl either, has a profound effect on both the rate of initiation and propagation. The active centers are believed to be ion-pairs with the lithium counterions solvated by both ether and monomer molecules, and the actual propagation reaction is believed to involve a rearrangement of the monomer, complexed to the lithium, and the growing polymeric chain.     

Etude de l''influence du diluant hydrocarbone dans la reaction des organomagnesiens primaires sur les cetones encombrees

Primary alkylmagnesium bromides are prepared in hydrocarbon solutions such as benzene or toluene using 1 equivalent of diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran. Their reactions with diisopropylketone and cyclohexylisopropylketone increase drastically the addition products in comparison with the reactions in diethyl ether or in tetrahydrofuran. No important differences were found in the distribution of reaction products between diethylether or tetrahydrofuran and between benzene and toluene when they are used as complexant and diluent respectively.     

Anionic polymerization initiated by lithium diethylamide in organic solvents. III. Investigation of the polymerization of styrene

The polymerization of styrene, initiated by lithium diethylamide in mixtures of benzene and THF, has been investigated. Kinetic and molecular weight measurements are interpreted on the basis of simultaneous initiation and propagation steps, and the effect of solvation and coordination processes on these reactions is discussed. Initiation of polymerization is thought to involve addition of solvated lithium diethylamide ion-airs to styrene, giving species with diethylamide end groups. The possible influence of these end groups on the initiation is considered in terms of an intramolecular cyclization process. Propagation of polymerization is believed to involve polystyryllithium ion-pairs, solvated to varying extents by THF. No evidence has been found to suggest that chain transfer, or termination, reactions are an integral part of the polymerization process. The polymerization has a number of similarities to the alkyllithium-initiated polymerization of styrene, but also exhibits some interesting differences.     

Microstructures of polybutadienes prepared by anionic polymerization in polar solvents. Ion-pair and solvent effects

The microstructure of polybutadiene produced by anionic initiation in diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran with counterions Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ was determined by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. Ionization suppressing salts were added in tetrahydrofuran to ensure that only the ion-pair reaction was studied. Results are compared with older published data. In general, the 1,4 content of the polymer increases with increasing counterion size but varies somewhat with solvent with a given counterion. The cis component of the 1,4 structures changes with temperature and counterion. It is suggested that this change reflects the proportion of cis and trans centers that carry the reaction.     

Ion-pair structure in anionic polymerization. Effect of temperature and association on an allylic lithium compound in two polar solvents

¹³C NMR studies are reported on enriched samples of a one-unit model of the active centres present in butadiene polymerization. Concentrations between 2 × 10³ M and 1M, and temperatures between −120° and 50° were investigated. The effect of ion-pair association on charge distributions in diethyl ether solutions is described. The effect of temperature on the overall structure in tetrahydrofuran solutions is discussed.     

Block copolymers of styrene,isoprene, and ethylene oxide prepared by anionic polymerization. I. Synthesis and characterization

Anionic polymerization has been used as a technique for the synthesis of five-block copolymers of polystyrene (PS), polyisoprene (PI), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Two types of such polymers, PEO-PI-PS-PI-PEO and PEO-PS-PI-PS-PEO with varying PEO block length, have been prepared, using potassium naphthalene as the initiator and tetrahydrofuran as the solvent. The polymers were purified by extraction with ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, and water. After the addition of each monomer, a sample from the living polymer solution was taken and analyzed by spectroscopy (infared (IR) and proton magnetic resonance (PMR)), osmometry, and gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) to obtain information about composition, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the intermediate polymers. The five-block copolymers have also been characterized by the same techniques and by elemental analysis.     

Cationic polymerization of glycidol

Polymerization of glycidyl alcohol induced by boron trifluoride tetrahydrofuran complex (BF₃ ? THF) in ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DME) and in the presence of BF₃–water or BF₃–glycerol catalyst system was studied. Under any of the conditions employed, the reaction gave water-soluble oligoether with polydispersity of ~1.1. It was shown by mass spectrometry that during polymerization in DME, DME is incorporated into the polymer and glycidol polymerization gives the alkyl-ether. According to calculations for glycidol polymerization in the presence of hydroxy compounds, the calculated number-average degrees of polymerization were higher than the experimental values both in the presence of water and with glycerol; this may be attributable to initiation of new molecules on the hydroxy group of the unreacted monomer.     

Structural studies of organometallic compounds in solution: I. Magnesium iodide in diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran

The structure of 2.8 M MgI₂ in diethyl ether solution and that of 1.7 M MgI₂ in tetrahydrofuran solution have been determined by large angle X-ray scattering measurements. The measurement on the diethyl ether solution was performed at 44°C, on a phase crystallizing at approximately 30°C. In diethyl ether a dimeric structure is found, arranged in a square-planar fashion. The bond lengths are: MgI 2.652(2), II (diagonal) 3.75(2) and II (linear) 5.30 Å. Three diethyl ether molecules are probably coordinated to each magnesium to complete an octahedral arrangement. In tetrahydrofuran the ion MgI⁺ from a dissociated complex predominates. In the MgI₂ complex a tetrahedral arrangement is found. In both the MgI⁺ and MgI₂ complexes the MgI distance is 2.56(2) Å. In the MgI₂ complex the II distance is 4.44(4) Å. In both solutions the MgO and MgC distances were kept fixed at 2.10 and 3.48 Å, respectively. The solubility of MgI₂ in diethyl ether has been shown to be strongly dependent on the water content of the ether; 0.2 M was the highest concentration obtained in anhydrous diethyl ether.     

Polymerization of cyclic ethers in the presence of maleic anhydride. Part II. Investigation of the polymerization mechanism

In order to elucidate the reaction mechanism of both the radiation-induced and benzoyl peroxide-catalyzed polymerizations of cyclic ethers in the presence of maleic anhydride, the development of color during reaction and copolymerization of oxetane derivatives were investigated. Upon addition of a small amount of the γ-ray or ultraviolet-irradiated equimolar solution of a cyclic ether and maleic anhydride to isobutyl vinyl ether, a rapid polymerization took place, and the resulting polymer was confirmed to be a homopolymer of isobutyl vinyl ether. A heated solution of dioxane, maleic anhydride, and a small amount of benzoyl peroxide can initiate the polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether in the same manner. The electrical conductivity of a 1:1 mixture of maleic anhydride and dioxane is increased by about a factor of ten after ultraviolet irradiation. These results indicate that some cationic species are actually formed in the system by irradiation or the decomposition of added benzoyl peroxide. The mechanism of formation of the cationic species responsible for the initiation may be explained as follows. A free radical of an ether is formed by abstraction of a hydrogen atom attached to the carbon adjacent to oxygen atom, followed by a one-electron transfer from the resulting radical to maleic anhydride, an electron acceptor, to yield the cationic species of the ether and the anion-radical of maleic anhydride, respectively. The resulting cationic species as well as the counteranion-radical are resonance-stabilized. Therefore, the present polymerization may be designated a radical-induced cationic polymerization.     

Use of aromatic radical-anions in the absence of THF. Tandem formation and cyclization of benzyllithiums derived from the attack of homo- and bishomoallyllithiums on alpha-methylstyrenes: two-pot synthesis of cuparene

When a homo- or bishomoallyllithium, generated by reductive lithiation of the corresponding phenyl thioether by the radical anion lithium 1-(dimethylamino)naphthalenide (LDMAN), is added to alpha-methylstyrene, a tandem addition/cyclization to a phenyl-substituted five- or six-membered-ring occurs. The yields are compromised by polymerization of the alpha-methylstyrene, a process favored by tetrahydrofuran (THF), the solvent used to generate lithium aromatic radical anions. Thus, a new method of generating LDMAN (unsuccessful for other common radical anions) in the absence of THF has been developed. The radical anion can be generated and the reductive lithiation performed in dimethyl ether at -70 degrees C. After the addition of diethyl ether or other solvent, and evaporation of the dimethyl ether in vacuo, the alpha-methylstyrene is added and the solution is warmed to -30 degrees C. When the unsaturated alkyllithium is primary, no adduct forms in THF due to polymerization of the alpha-methylstyrene, but moderate yields are attained in a solvent containing mainly hexanes. It was also found that the cyclized organolithiums, which would have become protonated in the presence of THF, can be captured by an electrophile, even at ambient temperature. A two-pot synthesis, the most efficient reported, of the sesquiterpene (+/-)-cuparene in 46% yield, using this technology is reported.     

Stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether. III. Polymerization with VCl3 • LiCl

The polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether by vanadium trichloride in n-heptane was studied. VCl₃ ? LiCl was prepared by the reduction of VCl₄ with stoichiometric amounts of BuLi. This type of catalyst induces stereospecific polymerization of isobutyl vinyl ether without the action of trialkyl aluminum to an isotactic polymer when a rise in temperature during the polymerization was depressed by cooling. It is suggested that the cause of the stereospecific polymerization might be due to the catalyst structure in which LiCl coexists with VCl₃, namely, VCl₃ ? LiCl or VCl₂ ? 2LiCl as a solid solution in the crystalline lattice, since VCl₃ prepared by thermal decomposition of VCl₄ and a commercial VCl₃ did not produce the crystalline polymer and soluble catalysts such as VCl₄ in heptane and VCl₃ ? LiCl in ether solution did not yield the stereospecific polymer. It was found that some additives, such as tetrahydrofuran or ethylene glycol diphenyl ether, to the catalyst increased the stereospecific polymerization activity of the catalysts. Influence of the polymerization conditions such as temperature, time, monomer and catalyst concentrations, and the kind of solvent on the formed polymer was also examined.     

Vinyl polymerization. 422. Initiation mechanism of uncatalyzed polymerization by polyethyleneglycol

The initiation mechanism on the radical polymerization of vinyl monomers by polyethyleneglycol (PEG-300) in aqueous solution was studied. The initiating radical species were determined by means of the spin trapping technique. They were concluded to be generated by the hydrogen atom transfer from the monomer adsorbed at the ether group of PEG-300 to the free monomer.     

13C-13C NMR coupling constants in substituted allylic ion-pairs of the type occurring in anionic diene polymerization

¹³C-¹³C NMR coupling constants have been measured on the 1:1 adduct of tert-butyllithium and butadiene, a model for the active centres in the anionic polymerization of butadiene. Solutions in three solvents in which solvation and aggregation properties differ were studied, tetrahydrofuran, diethyl ether and benzene. The 2-methyl- substituted analogue, more appropriate for isoprene type systems was also converted to the potassium salt and a comparison was made of the effect of counter ion. Ion-pair structure is discussed in terms of these measurements.     

Silyl‐protected hydroxystyrenes: Living anionic polymerization at room temperature and selective desilylation

Both 4‐ and 3‐(tert‐butyldimethylsilyl)oxystyrene (MSOST) undergo living anionic polymerization at room temperature with sec‐butyllithium (sBuLi) in cyclohexane or methylcyclohexane upon injection of a small amount of tetrahydrofuran. Desilylation can be conveniently afforded with hydrogen chloride or tetra(alkyl)ammonium fluoride to provide poly(hydroxystyrene) (PHOST) with a narrow molecular weight distribution, which could be further transformed to other polystyrene derivatives. ¹³C NMR spectra of poly(tert‐butyldimethylsilyloxystyrene) (PMSOST) and PHOST prepared under different conditions (tetrahydrofuran vs. cyclohexane, −78 °C vs. 20 °C) have indicated that the room temperature living polymerization in the hydrocarbon‐rich solvent produces polymers with high syndiotacticity. Similarly, 4‐(tert‐butyldiphenylsilyl)oxystyrene (PhSOST), a new monomer, provides living anionic polymerization at room temperature. Desilylation of this polymer can be achieved using tetra(n‐butyl)ammonium or tetraethylammonium fluoride. Inertness of the phenylsilyl ether to HCl allows selective desilylation of the dimethylsilyl ether with HCl in the presence of the phenylsilyl ether group, providing a new route to interesting macromolecules. Application of the selective desilylation technique to the synthesis of a block copolymer of HOST and 4‐tert‐butoxycarbonyloxystyrene (BOCST) is described. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2415–2427, 2000     

Mechanism for the formation of gas-phase protonated alcohol-ether adducts by VUV laser ionization and density-functional calculations

The neutral vapors above liquid alcohol/ether mixtures, (diethyl ether/methanol, diethyl ether/ethanol, tetrahydrofuran/methanol, and tetrahydrofuran/ethanol) were co-expanded with He in a supersonic jet, ionized with a 118-nm vacuum ultraviolet laser, and detected in a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. In each case, features attributed to protonated alcohol-ether dimers and protonated ether monomers were observed, as well as those ions obtained by ionizing neat alcohol or ether samples alone. Theoretical calculations, carried out to establish the energetics of the various possible reactions leading to the formation of the observed binary adducts, indicate that the most thermodynamically favorable pathway corresponds to the addition of a protonated alcohol monomer to neutral ether.     

Untersuchungen über das Verhalten organischer Mischphasen 9. Mitteilung Vergleich der binären Systeme Tetrahydrofuran mit Wasser,Methanol und Cyclohexan,Diäthyläther mit Wasser,Methanol und Cyclohexan und Tetrahydrofuran-Diäthyläther

Activities and mixing functions of the following binary systems at 25° C are discussed: 1. mixtures of tetrahydrofuran with water, methanol, and cyclohexane; 2. mixtures of diethyl ether with water, methanol, and cyclohexane, and 3. mixtures of tetrahydrofuran with diethyl ether. Comparison with similar systems shows that in systems containing methanol, the strongest interactions are formation and breaking of hydrogen bonds between alcohol molecules; interactions between methanol and ether molecules play a minor rǒle. Systems containing water exhibit two main kinds of interaction: formation and breaking of hydrogen bonds between water molecules, and formation of hydrogen bonds between water and ether molecules. Deviations from ideality are larger for diethyl ether than for tetrahydrofuran in water and methanol, and smaller in cyclohexane.     

Kinetic and NMR spectroscopic studies of chiral mixed sodium/lithium amides used for the deprotonation of cyclohexene oxide

The mixed-metal complex formed from n-butylsodium, n-butyllithium, and a chiral amino ether has been studied by NMR spectroscopy. Three different mixed-metal amides were used as chiral bases for the deprotonation of cyclohexene oxide. The selectivity and initial rate of reaction were compared for sodium-amido ethers, lithium-amido ethers, and mixtures of sodium and lithiumamido ethers in diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran, respectively. The mixed sodium/lithium amides are more reactive than the single sodium and lithium amides, whereas the stereoselectivities are higher when lithium amides are used. The alkali-metal/gamma-amido ethers exhibit both higher initial reaction rates and stereoselectivities than their beta-amido ether analogues. NMR spectroscopic studies of mixtures of n-butylsodium (nBuNa), n-butyllithium (nBuLi), and the gamma-amino ethers in diethyl ether show the exclusive formation of dimeric mixed-metal amides. In diethyl ether, the lithium atom of the mixed-metal amide is internally coordinated and the sodium atom is exposed to solvent; however, in tetrahydrofuran, both metals are internally coordinated.     

Solvation of alkyllithium compounds. Steric effects on heats of interaction of bases with hexameric versus tetrameric alkyllithiums

Heats of interaction of Lewis bases with hexameric and tetrameric alkyllithiums in hydrocarbon solution at 25° have been determined by high dilution solution calorimetry at low base to lithium atom ratios. The Lewis bases utilized include tetrahydrothiophene, tetrahydrofuran, triethylphosphine, triethylamine, and diethyl ether. The organolithiums investigated were $\text{n}$-butyllithium, ethyllithium, isopropyllithium, trimethylsilylmethyllithium, and $\text{t}$-butyllithium. The basicity order based on initial enthalpies of interaction is independent of the alkyllithium compound. Larger enthalpies of interaction were observed for the tetrameric $\text{versus}$ hexameric alkyllithiums with the exception of tetrameric $\text{t}$-butyllithium which does not interact significantly with these bases. The sensitivities of the enthalpies to the steric requirements of the base were probed by comparison of the enthalpies for tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran. Base coordination to hexameric $\text{n}$-butyllithium is more sensitive to the steric requirements of the tetrahydrofuran bases than is coordination to tetrameric trimethylsilylmethyllithium or isopropyllithium. These results are interpreted in terms of coordination of tetrahydrofuran bases to the intact hexameric aggregate for $\text{n}$-butyllithium; however, it is concluded that the corresponding interaction with hexameric trimethylsilylmethyllithium leads directly to base-solvated tetramers.     

Vinyl polymerization by metal complexes. III. Vinyl polymerization initiated by oligoamide and cupric ion system

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate and other vinyl monomers was studied in the presence of oligoamide (?-aminocaproic acid, its dimer, trimer, tetramer, and pentamer) and cupric ion in aqueous media. The polymerization was found to be of free-radical character and selective for the type of vinyl monomer. Carbon tetrachloride can accelerate the polymerization. The initiation mechanism of the polymerization is discussed. Spectroscopic measurements were indicative of formation of 1:1 complex between oligoamides and cupric ion in aqueous NaClO₄ solution. Some chemical and physical properties of the resulting polymers were measured.     

The Role of Donor-Acceptor Complexes in the Initiation of Ionic Polymerization

Work carried out in the past few years aimed at elucidating the mechanism of initiation of vinyl polymerization when a donor and an acceptor molecule, one or both of which may be vinyl monomers, is summarized. The emphasis of our investigation has been on polymerizable ether donors and strong electron acceptors which do not undergo polymerization, or the acceptor vinylidene cyanide. Alkyl vinyl ethers were polymerized in the presence of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) in polar solvents. Observation of the ESR spectrum of the DDQ radical anion and the isolation of a 1:1 addition product of DDQ and alkyl vinyl ether when the two are mixed in a 1:1 ratio and quenched in alcohol support an initiation mechanism involving a coupling reaction of the donor monomer (radical cation) and the acceptor initiator (radical anion). The reaction of vinylidene cyanide (VC) with the vinyl ethers p-dioxene, dihydropyran, ethyl vinyl ether, isopropyl vinyl ether, and ketene diethylacetal in a variety of solvents at 25°C spontaneously afforded poly(vinylidene cyanide), the cycloaddition products 7,7-dicyano-2,5-dioxo-bicyclo[4.2.0] octane, 8,8-dicyano-2-oxo-bicyclo[4.2.0] octane, the 1,1-dicyano-2-alkoxycyclo-butanes, and 1,1-diethoxy-2,2,4,4-tetracyanohexane, respectively, and with the exception of p-dioxene, homopolymers of the vinyl ethers. In the presence of AIBN at 80°C, alternating copolymers were obtained in addition to the homopolymers and cycloaddition products, supporting the involvement of donor-acceptor complexes. The reaction of styrene with VC spontaneously formed an alternating copolymer in addition to the 1:2 head-to-head cycloaddition product, 1,1,3,3-tetracyano-4-phenylcyclohexane. Mixing VC with any one of the cyclic ethers tetrahydrofuran, oxetane, 2,2-dimethyloxirane, 2-chloromethyloxirane, and phenyloxirane resulted in the polymerization of both the VC and the cyclic ether to afford homopolymers of both. The cyclic ethers trioxane, 3,3-bis(chloromethyl)oxetane, and oxirane initiated the polymerization of VC, but did not undergo ring-opening polymerizations themselves. Other ethers such as 1,3-dioxolane, tetrahydropyran, and diethyl ether did not initiate the polymerization of VC. In these polymerizations, VC and the cyclic ethers polymerize via anionic and cationic propagation reactions, respectively.