Synthesis of Davankov‐type hypercrosslinked resins using different isomer compositions of vinylbenzyl chloride monomer,and application in the solid‐phase extraction of polar compounds

Two different gel‐type resins have been prepared by suspension polymerization using 2 wt % divinylbenzene (DVB) with either p‐vinylbenzyl chloride (pVBC) or a mixture of VBC isomers (～ 70% m‐; ～ 30% p‐). Significant difference in the chlorine content was observed, which was attributed to a more favored hydrolysis process when p‐VBC was used. The presence of hydroxyl groups has been confirmed by elemental microanalytical data and solid‐state ¹³C cross‐polarization/magic angle spinning (CP‐MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. Hypercrosslinked resins were prepared from both gel‐type precursors by treatment with FeCl₃ in 1,2‐dichloroethane (DCE) at 80 °C. The resultant resins showed differences in specific surface area and degree of hydrophilicity. The performance of the hypercrosslinked resins was evaluated in solid‐phase extraction (SPE) of polar compounds, and better results were obtained for the hypercrosslinked resin prepared from p‐VBC that combines a relatively high specific surface area (908 m² g^?1) and somewhat higher oxygen content (3.96 wt % O). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1718–1728, 2005