Preparation and radical ring-opening polymerization of 2-substituted-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolanes

2-Methyl-2-phenyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIa ), 2-ethyl-2-phenyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIb ), 2-phenyl-2-(n-propyl)-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIc ), 2-phenyl-2-(i-propyl)-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IId ), 2-(n-heptyl)-2-phenyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIe ), 2-methyl-2-(2-naphthyl)-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIf ), and 2,2-diphenyl-4-methylene-1,3-dioxolane ( IIg ) were prepared and polymerized in the presence of a radical initiator. IIa–IIf were found to undergo vinyl polymerization with ring-opening reaction accompanying the elimination of ketone groups in bulk. IIg was found to undergo the quantitative ring-opening reaction accompanying the elimination of benzophenone in solution to obtain polyketone without any side reaction.