Living Carbocationic Polymerization of Isobutylene Using Blocked Dicumyl Chloride or Tricumyl Chloride/TiCI4Pyridine Initiating System

Abstract

Living polymerization of isobutylene was achieved using an initiation system based on either 1,3-di(1-chloro-l-methylethyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene (tert-butyl-dicumyl chloride) or 1,3,5-tris(l-chloro-l-methylethyl)benzene (tricumyl chloride) in conjunction with TiCl₄, and pyridine in hexanes/methyl chloride (60/40, v/v) cosolvents. TiCl₄/pyridine was found to yield narrow molecular weight distribution (MWD ≈ 1.1) and quantitative initiation efficiency (I_eff < 90%). The living nature of the polymerization system was demonstrated by the linearity of molecular weight vs conversion plots and first-order kinetic plots up to about 90% monomer conversion. If polymerization was allowed to proceed further, a departure from first-order kinetics and a broadening of the molecular weight distribution was observed to occur. The living polymerization was investigated as a function of temperature, reaction time, and the concentration of TiCl₄/pyridine. Polymerization rates were observed to increase with decreasing temperature and/or increasing concentration of TiCl₄/pyridine. Number-average molecular weights of the polyisobutylenes ranged from 5,000 to 100,000 under the conditions employed.