Living polymerization of aryl substituted acetylenes by MoCl5 and WCl6 based initiators: The ortho phenyl substituent effect

The polymerization of phenylacetylene initiated by MoCl₅ and WCl₆ based initiators was monitored directly in the NMR sample tube and demonstrated the presence of backbiting and intramolecular cyclization reactions. It was shown that the ratio of cis to trans structural units obtained by isomerization prior to double bond formation dictates the degree of backbiting and intramolecular cyclization reactions. This cis–trans ratio determines the length of cis–transoidal sequences present in the polymer backbone which are available for both backbiting and intrachain cyclization reactions. The cyclic trimers obtained in the metathesis polymerization of phenylacetylene are formed only through the cis–cisoidal-induced backbiting and/or intramolecular reactions. The o-trimethylsilylphenylacetylene follows a living mechanism of polymerization. This is due to the fact that the size of the ortho substituent suppresses the cis–transoidal to cis–cisoidal isomerization reactions and therefore eliminates the backbiting reactions. The steric hindrance provided by the size of the ortho substituent also eliminates interchain and intrachain reactions.