Polymerisation anionique du methacrylate de methyle par les organoalcalins—II. Polymerisation en milieu solvant protonique et influence de la temperature sur les tacticites des polymeres

Anionic polymerization of methylmethacrylate, initiated by fluorenyl-alkali metals in amine media, gives syndiotactic polymers.With amines having high dielectric constant (NH₃ and MeA) Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ give approximately the same values of differential enthalpies and entropies of activation for iso- and syndiotactic placements.With primary amines having moderate dielectric constant (5 < ? < 7), influence of the nature of the counter-ion has been observed. The syndiotacticity increases with increasing alkali cation radius.For the same ion pair, the syndiotacticity of the propagation depends on the nature of the primary amine. From the absorption peak shifts detected by u.v. spectroscopy, it has been suggested that the living carbanion is solvated by amines. Because of this solvation, the coordination bond between the carboxy group of the living chain-end and the counter-ion is weakened; the syndiotactic placement is thus favoured.The strength of the solvation phenomenon depends on the steric hindrance of the amine molecule. Differences between the stereoconfiguration propagations have been observed for the bulky cyclohexylamine and the smaller and less rigid n-butylamine and ethylamine. With iso-propylamine, the behaviour of the anionic propagation is intermediate.Finally, with free ions or loose ion pairs, the anionic propagation is not affected by solvation of the living carbanion.