Introduction

Abstract

The initiation mechanism for spontaneous copolymerizations of vinyl sulfides (VS) with electron-accepting monomers such as maleic anhydride (MAn), diethyl fumarate (DEF), acrylonitrile (AN), and methyl acrylate (MA) was investigated by means of spin trapping technique using 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane as a spin trapping agent. From the ESR spectrum observed from the system ethyl VS-DEF, two types of radicals, a vinyl radical (I; RSCH=CH) and an alkyl (1, 2-dicarboethoxyethyl) radical (II; C₂H₅OCOCHCH₂COOC₂H₅) which derived from VS and DEF, respectively, were detected as their nitroxides. Similar radicals, I and III (NCCH₂CH₂), were also observed from the system VS-AN, but in the system VS-MA, three types of radicals, I, IV (CH₃OCOCH₂CH₂), and V (CH₃OCOCHCH₃) were trapped as their nitroxides. In the system isopropyl VS-MAn, I and a propagating radical (VI) ～～CH₂CHSR, were detected. The system isobutyl vinyl ether-MAn also showed a weak ESR spectrum due to the nitroxide from Radical I. These initiating radicals were assumed to be produced from the charge transfer complex formed between both donor and acceptor monomers. Based on these results, the cross-initiation mechanism for spontaneous alternating copolymerization is discussed.     

Structure and formation of gaseous [C4H6O]+˙ ions: 1—The enolic ions [CH2C(OH)?CHCH2]+˙ and [CH2CH?CHCH(OH)]+˙ and their relationship with their keto counterparts

The [C₄H₆O]^+˙ ion of structure [CH₂?CHCH?CHOH]^+˙ (a) is generated by loss of C₄H₈ from ionized 6,6-dimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-ol. The heat of formation ΔH_f of [CH₂?CHCH?CHOH]^+˙ was estimated to be 736 kJ mol^?1. The isomeric ion [CH₂?C(OH)CH?CH₂]^+˙ (b) was shown to have ΔH_f, ? 761 kJ mol^?1, 54 kJ mol^?1 less than that of its keto analogue [CH₃COCH?CH₂]^+˙. Ion [CH₂?C(OH)CH?CH₂]^+˙ may be generated by loss of C₂H₄ from ionized hex-1-en-3-one or by loss of C₄H₈ from ionized 4,4-dimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-ol. The [C₄H₆O]^+˙ ion generated by loss of C₂H₄ from ionized 2-cyclohexen-1-ol was shown to consist of a mixture of the above enol ions by comparing the metastable ion and collisional activation mass spectra of [CH₂?CHCH?CHOH]^+˙ and [CH₂?C(OH)CH?CH₂]^+˙ ions with that of the above daughter ion. It is further concluded that prior to their major fragmentations by loss of CH₃˙ and CO, [CH₂?CHCH?CHOH]⁺˙ and [CH₂?C(OH)CH?CH₂]^+˙ do not rearrange to their keto counterparts. The metastable ion and collisional activation characteristics of the isomeric allenic [C₄H₆O]^+˙ ion [CH₂?C?CHCH₂OH]^+˙ are also reported.     

Substituted propenyl end groups as reactive intermediates in radical polymerization

The addition of propagating radicals of methyl acrylate (MA) and styrene (St) to CH₂?C(CO₂CH₃)CH₂? and CH₂?C(C₆H₅)CH₂? ω‐end groups of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PSt) was investigated. The end groups were as reactive as MA and St toward the poly(methyl acrylate) (PMA) and PSt radicals, respectively. The adduct radical derived from the two types of PMMA end groups and PMA radicals underwent β fragmentation exclusively to yield PMMA radicals and end groups bound to PMA chains. The addition of PSt radicals to PMMA with CH₂?C(CO₂Me)CH₂? end groups resulted in adduct radicals that underwent β fragmentation and addition to St or coupling with PSt radicals. Adduct radicals formed by the addition of PMA radicals to both types of end groups of PSt exclusively formed C? C bond by coupling with PMA radicals to form branched structures or by addition to MA monomer to give a copolymer. The fate of the adduct radicals was highly dependent on the type of polymer chain and the substituent bound to the end group. Steric congestion of the adduct radical arising from the α‐methyl group of the PMMA chain was considered to be crucial for fragmentation to expel the PMMA radical. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 645–654, 2003     

Preparation of polymers with substituted allyl end group using dimer of α-methylvinyl monomer as addition fragmentation chain transfer agent at high temperatures

The dimerization of methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methacrylonitrile, and α-methylstyrene to 2-substituted-1-allylic compounds [CH₂?C(X)CH₂C(CH₃)₂X] (X = COOR, C₆H₅, or CN), and methyl α-ethylacrylate to a 3-substituted-2-allylic compound [CH₃CH?C(COOCH₃)CH₂C(CH₃)(C₂H₅) COOCH₃] was carried out by catalytic chain transfer using benzylbis (dimethylglyoximato) (pyridine) cobalt (III). These dimers were then used as addition-fragmentation chain transfer agents in the polymerizations of methyl methacrylate and styrene at 80⁰C or above. Cross-dimers from methacrylic ester-α-methylstyrene and methacrylonitrile-α-methylstyrene mixtures were similarly prepared. Except for those from methyl α-ethylacrylate and methacrylonitrile, all the dimers participated in the addition-fragmentation and the copolymerization to different extents. The dimer of methyl α-ethylacrylate was actually inactive during the styrene and methyl methacrylate polymerizations. The methacrylonitrile dimer was primarily incorporated in the polymer chain through copolymerization. Among the dimer and the cross-dimers from α-methylstyrene with the other monomers, those bearing the α-methylstyrene moiety in the α-substituent [CH₂?C(X)CH₂C(CH₃)₂C₆H₅, X?COOCH₃, COOC₂H₅, and CN] are noted as highly reactive chain transfer agents. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Role of Ion Pairs in the Second‐Order NLO Response of 4‐X‐1‐Methylpiridinium Salts

A series of 4‐X‐1‐methylpyridinium cationic nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores (X=(E)‐CH?CHC₆H₅; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐C(CH₃)₃; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐N(CH₃)₂; (E)‐CH?CHC₆H₄‐4′‐N(C₄H₉)₂; (E,E)‐(CH?CH)₂C₆H₄‐4′‐N(CH₃)₂) with various organic (CF₃SO₃^?, p‐CH₃C₆H₄SO₃^?), inorganic (I^?, ClO₄^?, SCN^?, [Hg₂I₆]^2?) and organometallic (cis‐[Ir(CO)₂I₂]^?) counter anions are studied with the aim of investigating the role of ion pairing and of ionic dissociation or aggregation of ion pairs in controlling their second‐order NLO response in anhydrous chloroform solution. The combined use of electronic absorption spectra, conductimetric measurements and pulsed field gradient spin echo (PGSE) NMR experiments show that the second‐order NLO response, investigated by the electric‐field‐induced second harmonic generation (EFISH) technique, of the salts of the cationic NLO chromophores strongly depends upon the nature of the counter anion and concentration. The ion pairs are the major species at concentration around 10^?3 M , and their dipole moments were determined. Generally, below 5×10^?4 M , ion pairs start to dissociate into ions with parallel increase of the second‐order NLO response, due to the increased concentration of purely cationic NLO chromophores with improved NLO response. At concentration higher than 10^?3 M , some multipolar aggregates, probably of H type, are formed, with parallel slight decrease of the second‐order NLO response. Ion pairing is dependent upon the nature of the counter anion and on the electronic structure of the cationic NLO chromophore. It is very strong for the thiocyanate anion in particular and, albeit to a lesser extent, for the sulfonated anions. The latter show increased tendency to self‐aggregate.     

Nonadditivity of methyl group in single‐electron hydrogen bond of methyl radical‐water complex

The nonadditivity of methyl group in the single‐electron hydrogen bond of the methyl radical‐water complex has been studied with quantum chemical calculations at the UMP2/6‐311++G(2df,2p) level. The bond lengths and interaction energies have been calculated in the four complexes: CH₃? H₂O, CH₃CH₂? H₂O, (CH₃)₂CH? H₂O, and (CH₃)₃C? H₂O. With regard to the radicals, tert‐butyl radical forms the strongest hydrogen bond, followed by iso‐propyl radical and then ethyl radical; methyl radical forms the weakest hydrogen bond. These properties exhibit an indication of nonadditivity of the methyl group in the single‐electron hydrogen bond. The degree of nonadditivity of the methyl group is generally proportional to the number of methyl group in the radical. The shortening of the C···H distance and increase of the binding energy in the (CH₃)₂CH? H₂O and (CH₃)₃C? H₂O complexes are less two and three times as much as those in the CH₃CH₂? H₂O complex, respectively. The result suggests that the nonadditivity among methyl groups is negative. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and atom in molecules (AIM) analyses also support such conclusions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Synthese d'un nouveau monomere hydrofluorocarboxylique le difluoro-2,2-butene-3-oate d'ethyle

The reaction of bromine with chlorotrifluoroethylene yields an addition product BrCF₂CFClBr, which can be further transformed into BrCF₂COOC₂H₅ by hydrolysis with oleum and esterification. The mono adduct ester, BrCH₂CH₂CF₂COOC₂H₅, is selectively obtained by ethylene telomerization in the presence of a radical initiator and ethyl bromodifluoroacetate as telogen; side-addition of two ethylene molecules cannot be completely avoided. The ester was dehydrobrominated with sodium ethanolate, yielding ethyl 2,2 difluoro 3-butenoate, CH₂CH-CF₂COOC₂H₅     

ESR spectra of poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(methyl methacrylate): Reinterpretation of the 9-line spectrum

The temperature dependence of the ESR spectra of poly(methacrylic acid) and poly-(methyl methacrylate) γ-irradiated at room temperature was studied between ?196°C and +25°C. The conventional 9-line spectrum was observed throughout this range with no significant spectral change, in contrast to the propagating radical ··· CH₂? °C(CH₃)COOR found in methacrylic acid monomer or barium methacrylate dihydrate irradiated at ?196°C. In addition, the irradiation of methacrylic acid monomer with a low dose at 0°C gave the same 13-line spectrum as that of the propagating radical obtained by the irradiation at ?196°C, while prolonged irradiation at 0°C gave the same conventional 9-line spectrum as that of poly(methacrylic acid) or poly(methyl methacrylate). The conventional 9-line spectrum has a much weaker 4-line component than that of the propagating radical. The difference comes from the surrounding matrix, and the conventional 9-line spectrum is well interpreted by introducing the concept of the distribution of the conformational angle in the irregular polymer matrix. From simulation of the ESR spectrum, it was found that the intensity of the 4-line component is very sensitive to the distribution, and that the observed 9-line spectrum is well reproduced assuming a Gaussian distribution (half-height width of 5–6°) around the most probable conformation which is nearly the same as that of the propagating radical, where the conformational angles of the two C? H_β bonds to the half-filled p-orbital are 55° and 65°.     

Acid-catalyzed degradation of poly(2-butyl-1, 3, 6-trioxocane)

Acid-catalyzed degradation of poly(2-butyl-1,3,6-trioxocane) (1) has been studied. With ethyl tosylate as the catalyst, the cyclic monomer 2 was the major product. The minor products are cis and trans isomers of C₃H₇CH?CH? OCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂OH, and three stereoisomers of C₃H₇CH?CH? OCH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂O? CH?CH? C₃H₇ elucidated by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR, electron impact and chemical ionization MS, and in the case of 2 also by comparison with an authentic sample. With 98% H₂SO₄ as the catalyst 2 is only a minor product. The major products are diethylene glycol, valeraldehyde, and 1,4-dioxane with some 2-butyl-1,3-dioxolane. Capillary GC/mass spectrometry led to identification of the following less abundant products: tri-n-propylbenzene, α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, and cyclic dimer. The products of H₂SO₄-catalyzed decomposition of polymer were also obtained by heating monomer 2 with H₂SO₄. A detailed mechanism for the formation of the eight-member ring 2 in the decomposition is proposed which involves unzipping proceeds via open carbocation intermediates. According to the principle of microscopic reversibility, the same open carbocation is the propagating species in the polymerization of 2 under similar conditions.     

Synthesis and characterization of new (N‐diphenylphosphino)‐isopropylanilines and their complexes: crystal structure of (Ph2P S)NH?C6H4?4?CH(CH3)2 and catalytic activity of palladium(II) complexes in the Heck and Suzuki cross‐coupling reactions

Three new (N‐diphenylphosphino)‐isopropylanilines, having isopropyl substituent at the carbon 2‐ (1) 4‐ (2) or 2,6‐ (3) were prepared from the aminolysis of chlorodiphenylphosphine with 2‐isopropylaniline, 4‐isopropylaniline or 2,6‐diisopropylaniline, respectively, under anaerobic conditions. Oxidation of 1,2 and 3 with aqueous hydrogen peroxide, elemental sulfur or gray selenium gave the corresponding oxides, sulfides and selenides (Ph₂P?E)NH? C₆H₄? 2‐CH(CH₃)₂, (Ph₂P?E)NH? C₆H₄? 4‐CH(CH₃)₂ and (Ph₂P?E)NH? C₆H₄? 2,6‐{CH(CH₃)₂}₂, where E = O, S, or Se, respectively. The reaction of [M(cod)Cl₂] (M = Pd, Pt; cod = 1,5‐cyclooctadiene) with two equivalents of 1,2 or 3 yields the corresponding monodendate complexes [M((Ph₂P)NH? C₆H₄? 2‐CH(CH₃)₂)₂Cl₂], M = Pd 1d, M = Pt 1e, [M((Ph₂P)NH? C₆H₄? 4‐CH(CH₃)₂)₂Cl₂], M = Pd 2d, M = Pt 2e and [M((Ph₂P)NH? C₆H₄? 2,6‐(CH(CH₃)₂)₂)₂Cl₂], M = Pd 3d, M = Pt 3e, respectively. All the compounds were isolated as analytically pure substances and characterized by NMR, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Furthermore, representative solid‐state structure of [(Ph₂P?S)NH? C₆H₄? 4‐CH(CH₃)₂] (2b) was determined using single crystal X‐ray diffraction technique. The complexes 1d–3d were tested and found to be highly active catalysts in the Suzuki coupling and Heck reaction, affording biphenyls and stilbenes, respectively. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dissoziative ionisierung von 2-trimethylsilyl-1-phenoxyethan. Nachweis des nicht-klassischen ethylen-trimethylsilanium-ions in der gasphase

The mass spectrometric investigation of specifically deuterium and ¹³C labelled 2-trimethylsilyl-l-phenoxyethanes proves that the dissociative ionization of β-silyl-substituted ethane derivatives (loss of PhO^?; p-CH₃C₆H₄O^?; and C₄H^?₉ from PhOCH₂CH₂SiMe₃, p-MeC₆H₄OCH₂CH₂SiMe₃ and CH₃CH₂CH(CH₃)CH₂-CH₂SiMe₃, respectively) yields the non-classical bridge ethylene trimethylsilanium ion and not the open-chain isomer. Other stable C₅H₁₃Si^+? ions, characterised by collisional activation mass spectrometry, are the dimethyl n-propyl silicenium ion and the l-trimethylsilyl ethyl cation, both generated from the molecular ions of CH₃CH₂CH₂Si(Cl)Me₂ and CH₃CH(Cl)SiMe₃ via unimolecular loss of Cl^?.     

Reactions of ionized dibutyl ether

The reactions of ionized di-n-butyl ether are reported and compared with those of ionized n-butyl sec-butyl and di-sec-butyl ether. The main fragmentation of metastable (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂)₂O^+. is C₂H₅? loss (?85%), but minor amounts (2–4%) of CH₃?, C₄H₇?, C₄H₉?, C₄H₁₀ and C₄H₁₀O are also eliminated. In contrast, C₂H₅? elimination is of much lower abundance (20 and 4%, respectively) from metastable CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂OCH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃^+. and [CH₃CH₂(CH₃)CH]₂O^+., which expel mainly C₂H₆ and CH₃? (35–55%). Studies on collisional activation spectra of the C₆H₁₃O⁺ oxonium ions reveal that C₂H₅? loss from (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂)₂O^+. gives the same product, (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂ ⁺O?CHCH₃) as that formed by direct cleavage of CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂OCH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃^+.. Elimination of C₂H₅? from (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂)₂O^+. is interpreted by means of a mechanism in which a 1,4-H shift to the oxygen atom initiates a unidirectional skeletal rearrangement to CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂OCH(CH₃)CH₂CH₃^+., which then undergoes cleavage to CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂⁺O?CHCH₃ and C₂H₅?. Further support for this mechanism is obtained from considering the collisional activation and neutralization-reionization mass spectra of the (C₄H₉)₂O^+. species and the behaviour of labelled analogues of (CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂)₂O^+.. The rate of ethyl radical loss is suppressed relative to those of alternative dissociations by deuteriation at the γ-position of either or both butyl substituents. Moreover, C₂H₅? loss via skeletal rearrangement and fragmentation of the unlabelled butyl group in CH₃CH₂CH₂CH₂OCH₂CH₂CD₂CH₃^+. occurs approximately five times more rapidly than C₂H₄D? expulsion via isomerization and fission of the labelled butyl substituent. These findings indicate that the initial 1,4-hydrogen shift is influenced by a significant isotope effect, as would be expected if this step is rate limiting in ethyl radical loss.     

Synthesis and Polymerization of the Organometallic Monomer Series Based on Cymantrenylethyl Acrylate

{η⁵ -C₅H₄[CH(CH₃)OC(O)CH = CH₂])Mn(CO)3, {η⁵—C₅[CH-(CH₃)OC(O)C(CH₃)=CH₂]]Mn(CO)₃, and {η⁵—C₅H₄[CH(CH₃)-OC(O)CH=C(CH₃)2])Mn(CO)₃ were synthesized (63, 57, and 51%, respectively) from {η⁵—C₅H₄[CH(CH₃)OH])Mn(CO)₃, toluene-sulfonic acid, and the acrylic, methacrylic, and dimethylacrylic acids, and from (η⁵-C₅H₄[CH(CH₃)OH]}Mn(CO)₃, pyridine, and the acrylic, methacrylic, and dimethylacrylic acyl chlorides [26, 48, and 25% (impure), respectively]. No product was obtained when NaH was used as the base in the latter method. The acrylate and methacrylate monomers were bulk homopolymerized at 65°C with AIBN (75% yield, M_n = 88,550 g/mol; 78% yield, M_n = 349,350 g/mol, respectively). The dimethylacrylate did not polymerize under these conditions. The polymers lost vinylcymantrene upon heating to 257 and 279°C, respectively. The polymers did not exhibit a clear T_g but were observed to soften at 85 and 160°C, respectively, and they could be pulled into fibers.     

Thermodynamic data for hydrogen bonding of thiols with Lewis bases in carbon tetrachloride. Weak association by the PMR method

Data for 30 hydrogen bonding pairs taken from the alkanethiols, i-C₃H₇SH, nC₃H₉SH and t-C₄H₉SH, and 16 bases have been obtained by a PMR method. Representative data for i-C₃H₇SH at 304 ± 2°K are (base, 10²K in M^?1, –ΔH° in kcal/mole): (CH₂)₄S, 3·1, 0·8; (CH₃)₂S, 3·0, 0·9; (CH₃)₂S₂, 3·7, 0·5; (CH₃)₂CO, 4·7, 0·9; CH₃COOC₂H₅, 5·7, 1·1; (CH₂)₄O, 6·1, 1·0; HCON(CH₃)₂, 12, 0·9; (CH₃ O)₂ SO, 12, 0·9; (C₂ H₅O)₃PO, 6·5, 1·0; CH₃ (CH₃ O)₂PO, 18, 1·0; ((CH₃)₂N)₂ CO, 5·9, 1·1; CH₃ CN, 13, 0·6. In essence, the problems and errors involved in obtaining equilibrium data for weak complexes stem from the limited concentration rangethat is accessible. This leads to large uncertainties in the quantities K, ΔH° and ΔS°. Structural effects on hydrogen bonding at the sulfur site, both as Lewis acid or base, are discussed. Two erroneous PMR methods in the literature used for assessing the strength of hydrogen bonds are pointed out.     

Synthesis and reactivity of metal-containing monomers

Optically active mixed alkoxy orthotitanates with general formula Ti(OR¹)₂(OR²)(OR³) (R¹=Et, Buⁿ; R²=CH₂CH₂OCOC(Me)=CH₂; R³=menthyl, CH(Me)CH₂Me, CH(Ph)CH(NHMe)Me, CH(C₉H₆N)(C₉H₁₄N)) were obtained for the first time by transesterification. The Ti^IV monomers synthesized were characterized by elemental analysis, ozonolysis, and¹H and¹³C NMR and IR spectroscopy. Polymer products with optical activity were obtained by liquid phase radical copolymerization of Ti^IV-containing monomers. For Part 51, see Ref. 1. Deceased. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1739–1743, September, 1999.     

Ultrathin self-assembled polymeric films on solid surfaces. I. Synthesis and characterization of acrylate copolymers containing alkyl disulfide side chains

Copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and 2-methoxyethyl acrylate with variable compositions were synthesized, fractionated, and characterized by ¹H-NMR, IR, GPC, and viscometry. These copolymers were further modified via polymer analog esterification of copolymer hydroxy groups by a series of disulfide-containing carboxylic acids including lipoic acid and (n-pentyldithio) alkyl carboxylic acids (n-C₅H₁₁SS(CH₂)m? COOH, m = 10, 15, 22) in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC). Esterification reactions were quantitative for copolymers possessing hydroxy monomer contents ≤ 40% when excess acid and DCC were present for sufficiently long reaction times (2–4 days) at room temperature. Copolymer DSC analysis demonstrates a systematic variation of T_g with copolymer composition in good agreement with ideal mixing theory. These disulfide-bearing copolymers spontaneously yield two-dimensional ultrathin polymer films with side chain-dependent layer thicknesses of 20–45 Å by solution adsorption onto freshly deposited gold surfaces. Such ultrathin polymer films are expected to have diverse applications as bound polymeric surface modification reagents. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Reaction of propionitrile with methylidyne: A theoretical study

The results of a CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVTZ-f12//ωB97XD/cc-pVTZ quantum-chemical study of the potential energy surface (PES) for the reaction of propionitrile with methylidyne are combined with Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) calculations of the reaction rate constants and product branching ratios in the deep space conditions corresponding to the zero-pressure limit at various collision energies. The most energetically favorable reaction pathways have been identified. The reaction outcome has been shown to strongly depend on the branching in the entrance reaction channel, between CH additions and insertions into various C-H and C-C bonds. For instance, CH addition to the N atom predominantly leads to 3H-pyrrole + H (p9), with CH₂NC + C₂H₄ (p2) also being a significant product. CH addition to the triple C≡N bond mostly results in 2-methylene-2H-azirine + CH₃ (p13), whereas CH insertions into C-H bonds in the CH₃ and CH₂ groups of propionitrile form CH₂CN + C₂H₄ (p1) and CH₂CHCN + CH₃ (p7) respectively. Less likely CH insertions into single C-C bonds yield CH₃CHCHCN + H (p5) and CH₂CHCH₂CN + H (p8). The results indicate that the methylidyne + propionitrile reaction may represent a critical step toward the formation of heterocyclic N-containing molecules in the interstellar medium and in planetary atmospheres.     

Living cationic polymerization of ethyl 2-(vinyloxy)ethoxyacetate: A vinyl ether with an ether and an ester function in the pendant

Ethyl 2-(vinyloxy)ethoxyacetate ( 4 ; CH₂?CH? OCH₂CH₂OCH₂? COOC₂H₅), a vinyl ether having both carboxylic acid ester and oxyethylene unit in its pendant, afforded well-defined living polymers when polymerized by the hydrogen iodide/iodine (HI/I₂) initiating system in toluene at ?40°C. The polymers possessed a narrow molecular weight distribution (M _w/M _n ≤ 1.15), and their molecular weight (M _n) increased proportionally to monomer conversion or the molar ratio of the monomer to hydrogen iodide. The polymer molecular weight also increased upon addition of a fresh feed of the monomer to a completely polymerized reaction mixture. Polymers of high molecular weights (M _n > 5 × 10⁵) and broad molecular weight distributions were obtained by BF₃OEt₂ in toluene at ?40°C. Polymerization rate of 4 with HI/I₂ is ca. 100 times greater than that of the corresponding alkyl vinyl ether, and thus 4 was found to be one of the most reactive vinyl ethers thus far studied. Alkaline hydrolysis of the pendant ester groups of the polymers gave a vinyl ether-based polymeric carboxylic acid 6 with a narrow molecular weight distribution.     

Preparation of macromonomers by copolymerization of methyl acrylate dimer involving β fragmentation

The unsaturated dimer of methyl acrylate [CH₂C(CO₂CH₃)CH₂CH₂CO₂CH₃, or MAD] was copolymerized with various monomers to prepare copolymers bearing the ω-unsaturated end group [CH₂C(CO₂CH₃)CH₂ ] arising from β fragmentation of the MAD propagating radical. Copolymerizations of MAD with cyclohexyl and n-butyl acrylate resulted in copolymers with ω-unsaturated end groups, and increasing the temperature up to 180 °C resulted in an increase in the rate of β fragmentation of MAD radicals relative to propagation. Only a small amount of unsaturated end groups was introduced by copolymerization with ethyl methacrylate (EMA), and the EMA content in the copolymer increased with temperature. These findings could be explained by the reversible addition of the poly(EMA) radical to MAD. The copolymerization with ethyl α-ethyl acrylate (EEA) did yield a copolymer containing unsaturated end groups with MAD units as part of the main chain, although the steric hindrance of the ethyl group suppressed homopropagation and crosspropagation of EEA, resulting in low polymerization rates. Therefore, the copolymerization of MAD with acrylic esters at high temperatures was noted as a convenient route for obtaining acrylate–MAD copolymers bearing unsaturated end groups at the ω end (macromonomer). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 597–607, 2004     

UHMWPE with short‐chain branches synthesized by alkenyl substituted phenoxy–imine catalysts in ethylene polymerization

The alkenyl substituted phenoxy–imine complexes [2‐C₃H₅‐6‐(2, 3, 5, 6‐C₆F₄H‐N?CH)C₆H₃O]₂TiCl₂ (C₃H₅=? CH₂? CH?CH₂ or ? CH?CH? CH₃) are synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis. When activated by MAO, they show high activity for the polymerization of ethylene to UHMWPE under different conditions (temperatures and polymerization time). Most of the resulting polymers have high molecular weights (>1.0 × 10⁶ g·mol^?1) and high melting points as well as crystallinity. To clarify the effect of the alkenyl group on the catalytic performance and the resultant polymer microstructure, the corresponding saturated complexes of type [2‐C₃H₇?6‐(2, 3, 5, 6‐C₆F₄H‐N?CH)C₆H₃O]₂TiCl₂ where C₃H₇ = –CH₂? CH₂? CH₃ or ? CH(CH₃)₂ were synthesized and tested as catalysts in ethylene polymerization under the same reaction conditions. The microstructure and morphologies of these two species of PE samples were fully compared by the analysis of ¹³C NMR, GPC, DSC, and SEM. As a result, the allyl substituted complex show the highest activity to prepare the highest molecular weight polyethylene of all the catalysts. An interesting feature of the UHMWPE produced by these four catalysts is that they contain only a few short‐chain branches (mainly methyl, isobutyl and 2‐methylhexyl branches) in a low amount (<2.7 branches/1000 C). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3808–3818