Polymerizations of chloral,styrene oxide,and methyl methacrylate initiated by the binary system of bis(acetylacetonato)metal(II) and chloral

The binary system of bis(acetylacetonato)metal(II) M(acac)₂] and chloral induced the polymerization of chloral M = Mn(II), Co(II), Mg(II), and Cu(II)], the ring-opening polymerization of styrene oxide M = Co(II) and Mg(II)], and the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate M = Mn(II) and Co(II)]. The similar order of activity of M(acac)₂ as the catalyst for the polymerization of chloral and for the aldol reaction of chloral with acetylacetone, the deactivation of the catalyst by the introduction of a substituent at the 3-position of M(acac)₂, the presence of saturated β-diketone at the end of the polymer of chloral and that of styrene oxide, and the visible light spectral data supporting the formation of the β-ketoalcoholate intermediate in the binary system of Co(acac)₂ and chloral are all experimental findings which suggest that M(acac)₂ is subject to the aldol addition by chloral at the 3-position of the chelated acetylacetone and that the resultant β-ketoalcoholate is a common active species for these polymerizations.