Odd-even effect of the methylene chain number in the template polymerization of alpha,beta-diacetylenecarboxylates incorporated in layered double hydroxide clay

The present investigation reports on the significant differences observed in the efficiency of the polymerization depending on the odd- or even-numbered methylene chains of diacetylenecarboxylates, CH3(CH2)(m-1)C[triple bond]C-C[triple bond]C(CH2)(n-1)CO2- (mono-[m,n]), incorporated in layered double hydroxide (LDH) clay. Upon gamma-ray irradiation of the diacetylenecarboxylates, or mono-[m,n], in LDH clay, polymer hybrids or poly-[m,n]/LDH, which exhibited coloring from light orange to violet, were obtained. The color of the poly-[m,n]/LDH hybrids was strongly dependent on the extent of the polymerization degrees. Moreover, the polymerization degrees were controlled by the number of methylene spacers n between the carboxyl and diacetylene groups. An odd-numbered n for the methylene chain of mono-[m,n] was found to be the determining factor in the efficient polymerization of these self-assembling aggregates within the interlayers of LDH clay.