Direct polycondensation of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols with tosyl chloride and N,N-dimethylformamide in pyridine

A Vilsmeier adduct derived from arylsulfonyl chlorides and DMF in pyridine was successfully used as a new condensating agent for the synthesis of aromatic polyesters by the direct polycondensation of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols and also of hydroxybenzoic acids. Polymers of high molecular weights (M?_w = 78,000) with relatively narrow molecular weight distribution (M?_w/M?_n ≈ 3.0) were prepared by reacting aromatic dicarboxylic acids with the adduct in pyridine, followed by addition of bisphenols. The polycondensation was significantly affected by the amount of DMF, the nature of the arylsulfonyl chlorides, the conditions of initial reaction of the acids with the adduct, and the rate of reaction with bisphenols. The process was adaptable to the direct polycondensation of hydroxybenzoic acids, affording polymers of high molecular weight (η_inh = 1.73).     

Polycondensation of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols with a new tosyl chloride/triphenylphosphine oxide/pyridine condensing agent

A new condensing agent comprised of tosyl chloride (TsCl) and triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) in pyridine was very effective for the preparation of polyesters of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols with higher molecular weight than those obtained from TsCl/dimethylformamide in pyridine. Among the phosphorus compounds examined TPPO was most effective, and the reaction using half an equivalent with respect to the carboxyl groups yielded the most favorable results at temperatures of more than 100°C.     

Synthesis of high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution poly(acrylonitrile) via RAFT polymerization

Well‐defined polyacrylonitrile (PAN) of high viscosity‐average molecular weight (M_η = 405,100 g/mol) was successfully synthesized using reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. The polymerization exhibits controlled characters: molecular weights of the resultant PANs increasing approximately linearly with monomer conversion and keeping narrow molecular weight distributions. The addition of 0.01 equiv (relative to monomer acrylonitrile) of Lewis acid AlCl₃ in the polymerization system afforded the obtained PAN with an improved isotacticity (by 8%). In addition, the influence of molecular weights and molecular weight distributions of PANs on the morphology of the electrospun fibers was investigated. The results showed that, under the same conditions of electrospinning, average diameter (247–1094 nm) of fibers increased with molecular weights of PANs, and it was much easier to get “uniform” diameter fibers while using PANs with narrow molecular weight distributions as the precursor of electrospinning. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis of polyester having pendent hydroxyl groups via regioselective dehydration polycondensations of dicarboxylic acids and diols by low temperature polycondensation

In this article, we describe the one‐step synthesis of polyesters having pendent hydroxyl groups by Lewis acid‐catalyzed, regioselective, dehydration polycondensations of diols (glycerol and sorbitol) and dicarboxylic acids [tartaric acid (TA) and malic acid (MA)] containing pendent hydroxyl groups, using low temperature polycondensation technique. Direct polycondensations of TA or MA and 1,9‐nonanediol catalyzed by scandium trifluoromethanesulfonate [Sc(OTf)₃] successfully yielded linear polyesters having hydroxyl functionality (M_n = ca. 1.0 × 10⁴). To demonstrate the reactivity of the pendent hydroxyl group, a glycosidation was performed. Poly(nonamethylene L ‐malate) showed significant higher biodegradability, compared with poly(nonamethylene L ‐tartrate) or poly(nonamethylene succinate). Stable poly(nonamethylene L ‐tartrate) emulsion could be prepared using poly(vinyl alcohol) as the surfactant, although emulsions consisting of poly(nonamethylene succinate) were unstable and phase‐separated within a few days. Furthermore, direct polycondensations of TA and diethylene glycol (DEG) or triethylene glycol (TEG) successfully produced water‐soluble polyesters having hydroxyl groups. This new polycondensation system may be extremely effective not only for advanced material design using functional monomers but also for effective utilization of biomass resources as chemical substances. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5747–5759, 2009     

Preparation and properties of aromatic copolyamides from aromatic diisocyanates and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

Wholly aromatic random copolyamides of high molecular weights were prepared by the high-temperature solution polycondensation of an aromatic diisocyanate, 4,4′-methylenedi(phenyl isocyanate) or 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, with a mixture of isophthalic acid and 4,4′-oxydibenzoic acid. Glass transition temperatures of the polyamides and copolyamides were between 229 and 273°C; this depended on the combination of diisocyanates and dicarboxylic acids used. These aromatic copolyamides showed better solubility in various organic solvents and reduced crystallinity, compared to the corresponding homopolyamides. The copolyamides prepared from 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate had greater solubility and higher glass transition temperatures than those obtained from 4,4′-methylenedi(phenyl isocyanate).     

Synthesis of high molecular weight polyisobutylene via cationic polymerization at elevated temperatures

A novel simple but effective initiating system of H2O/AlCl3 /veratrole (VE) has been developed to synthesize high molecular weight polyisobutylene (PIB) at elevated temperatures via cationic polymerization of isobutylene (IB) in solvent mixture of hexane/methylene dichloride (n-Hex/CH2Cl2 = 2/1, V/V). VE played very important roles in decreasing cationicity of the growing chain ends, suppressing side reactions of chain transfer and termination during polymerization, leading to production of high molecular weight PIBs. PIBs with high yields, having very high weight-average molecular weight (Mw ) of 1117000 and 370000 g/mol could be synthesized with H2O/AlCl3 /VE initiating system at VE concentration of 5.4 mmol/L at 80 and 60℃ respectively. Molecular weight of PIB increased remarkably with increasing VE concentration. The reaction order with respect to VE concentration was determined to be 3.52 via FTIR spectroscopy in combination with a diamond tipped attenuated total reflectance (ATR) immersion probe. The negative reaction order of VE was consistent with its retarding effect on IB polymerization by interacting with the propagating species. Molecular weight of PIB decreased with increasing polymerization temperature. The activation energy for polymerization degree (EDP ) could be determined to be around 23 kJ/mol when VE concentration was 5.4 mmol/L or 6.4 mmol/L.     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides derived from 1,6-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

A new bis(phenoxy)naphthalene-containing diamine, 1,6-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene, was synthesized in two steps from the condensation of 1,6-dihydroxynaphthalene with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of potassium carbonate, giving 1,6-bis(4-nitrophenoxv)naphthalene, followed by hydrazine hydrate/Pd—C reduction. A series of polyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of the diamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution containing dissolved metal salts such as CaCl₂ or LiBr using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polymers were obtained in quantitative yield with inherent viscosities of 0.78–3.72 dL/g. Most of the polymers were soluble in aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), NMP, and they could be solution-cast into transparent, flexible and tough films. The casting films had tensile strength of 102–175 MPa, elongation at break of 8–42%, and tensile modulus of 2.4–3.8 GPa. The polymers derived from rigid dicarboxylic acids such as terephthalic acid and 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid exhibited some crystalline characteristics. The glass transition temperatures of the polyamides were in the range of 238–337°C, and their 10% weight loss temperatures were above 487°C in nitrogen and above 438°C in air. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides derived from 1,2-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

1,2-Bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene was synthesized in two steps by the preparation of 1,2-bis(4-itrophenoxy)benzene from 1,2-dihydroxybenzene (catechol) and p-chloronitrobenzene and subsequent reduction with a 10% Pd-C catalyst and hydrazine hydrate. Aromatic polyamides with an inherent viscosity in the range of 1.08–2.00 dL/g were prepared by the direct polycondensation of this diamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Most of the polymers formed were soluble in aprotic solvents such as NMP and N,N-methylacetamide (DMAc), and afforded transparent, flexible, and tough films upon casting from DMAc solutions. Most of the cast films showed obvious yield points in their stress-strain curves and had tensile strength among 64–89 MPa, elongation at break among 5–23%, and initial modulus in 1.7–2.5 GPa. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of these polymers were in the range of 207–278°C, and the 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded above 475°C in nitrogen and above 452°C in air. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of aromatic acids via catalysed methyl formate-chloroarene reactions

Chlorobenzene and more generally, chloroarenes, can be converted into aromatic acids via catalytic reaction with aqueous methyl formate under biphasic conditions. The only efficient catalyst is [PdCl₂(PCy₃)₂] (Cy = cyclohexyl). [RU₃(CO)₁₂] and ammonium formate improve yield and selectivity. The mechanism should involve oxidative addition of the C---Cl bond to a zero-valent Pd species followed by CO insertion. The palladium catalyst may also directly activate methyl formate. The procedure is convenient (no solvent, no initial pressurization) and at least as efficient as previously described methods.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorine-containing aromatic polyethers from tetrafluoroisophthalonitrile and bisphenols

New aromatic polyethers having inherent viscosities of 0.43–0.91 dL/g were synthesized by the phase-transfer catalyzed polycondensation of tetrafluoroisophthalonitrile with various hisphenols in a nitrobenzene-water system. All the polyethers were amorphous and soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and nitrobenzene. They were cast into transparent and flexible films from the solutions. These polymers had glass transition temperatures around 130°C and dia not lose weight below 400°C in either air or nitrogen.     

Pyrene and anthracene dicarboxylic acids as fluorescent brightening comonomers for polyester

Diacids of fused arenes have been prepared for use as covalently bound fluorescent optical brightening agents in condensation polymers. The monomers: dimethyl 1,6‐pyrene dicarboxylate, dimethyl 1,8‐pyrenedicarboxylate, dimethyl 2,7‐pyrenedicarboxylate, 1,8‐bis(2‐carboxybenzoyl)pyrene dimethyl ester, dimethyl 2,6‐anthracenedicarboxylate, dimethyl 2,7‐anthracenedicarboxylate and dimethyl 9,10‐anthracenedicarboxylate are copolymerized with poly(ethylene terephthalate) and their optical properties are assessed. All of the polymers give blue fluorescence, with the copolymer containing dimethyl 1,6‐pyrenedicarboxylate being the brightest. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1291–1301, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of novel aromatic polyamides derived from 1,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

A new bis(phenoxy)naphthalene-containing diamine, 1,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene, was synthesized in two steps from the condensation of 1,5-dihydroxy-naphthalene with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of potassium carbonate, giving 1,5-bis(4-nitrophenoxy)naphthalene, followed by hydrazine hydrate/Pd? C reduction. A series of polyamides and copolyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of the diamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids or with mixed dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polymers having inherent viscosity of 0.81–1.25 dL/g were obtained in quantitative yield. Most of the polymers were generally soluble in aprotic solvent such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, etc. The polymers derived from rigid dicarboxylic acids such as terephthalic acid, naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, and 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid exhibited crystalline patterns. Glass transition temperatures of polymers were in the range of 230–360°C, and 10% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen and air were above 492 and 470°C, respectively. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides derived from 2,6-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids

2,6-Bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene (2,6-BAPON) was synthesized in two steps from the condensation of 2,6-dihydroxynaphthalene with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of potassium carbonate, giving 2,6-bis(4-nitrophenoxy)naphthalene, followed by hydrazine hydrate/Pd—C reduction. A series of new polyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of 2,6-BAPON with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution containing dissolved metal salts such as CaCl₂ or LiCl using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polymers were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.62–2.50 dL/g. Most of the polymers were soluble in aprotic dipolar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and NMP, and they could be solution cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films. The casting films had yield strengths of 84–105 MPa, tensile strengths of 68–95 MPa, elongations at break of 8–36%, and tensile moduli of 1.4–2.1 GPa. The glass transition temperatures of the polyamides were in the range 155–225°C, and their 10% weight loss temperatures were above 505°C in nitrogen and above 474°C in air. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2147–2156, 1997     

Synthesis and characterization of three co-crystals of bis(benzimidazole) derivatives with aromatic dicarboxylic acids

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Combination of three aromatic carboxylic acids (5-nitroisophthalic acid (H2nip), 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (H2ndc), tetrabromoterephthalic acid (H2tbta))...     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides derived from 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids

A series of novel bis(phenoxy)naphthalene-containing polyamides having inherent viscosity up to 2.02 dL/g were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of the diamine 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Most of the polyamides could be readily dissolved in polar aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide and NMP, and could be solution-cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films. These polymers had glass transition temperatures in the range of 139–263°C, and 10% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen and air were above 499 and 484°C, respectively. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight carboxylated polybutadiene

High molecular weight carboxylated polybutadienes (cPBDs) with number-average molecular weight (M_n) from 98,000 to 200,000 and carboxylic acid (COOH) contents of 0.5–10 mol % were successfully synthesized through hydrocarboxylation of polybutadienes (PBDs) at temperatures of 140–150°C using PdCl₂(PPh₃)₂ and SnCl₂ · 2H₂O catalysts. At low extents of hydrocarboxylation (COOH < 6 mol %), glass transition temperatures (T_g's) of the resulting cPBDs did not change considerably (<10°C). Significant chain scission and crosslinking was not detected during the chemical modification process. Characterization of the microstructures of cPBDs by FTIR, ¹³C-NMR, and Raman spectroscopy showed that the carboxylic groups were incorporated on the pendant (1,2) PBD double bonds as well as the backbone (1,4) double bonds, indicating the hydrocarboxylation reaction did not solely occur at the terminal carbons of the pendant double bonds. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3129–3138, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight branched PBA

We prepared carboxylic acid group terminated linear polybutylene adipate (PBA) by melt polycondensation of adipic acid with 1,4‐butanediol in the presence of titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TIP) as a catalyst. High molecular weight branched PBAs were synthesized through the branching reaction between the carboxylic acid group terminated PBA and branching agent such as glycerol or pentaerythritol in the presence of TIP. The weight‐average molecular weights of the branched PBAs were found to be in the range of about 100,000–240,000 by gel permeation chromatography. Mechanical properties of the linear and branched PBAs were measured on an Instron tensile tester. The moduli of the branched PBAs had lower values of 320–450 MPa than those of the linear PBAs, whereas the elongations at break of the branched PBAs were in the range of 530–590%, which are much greater than the linear PBAs. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2143–2150, 2001