| Abstract: | The action of aluminium halides upon polystyrene was studied as a function of the nature of the reaction medium and of the concentration of catalyst. It was demonstrated that polystyrene undergoes crosslinking, the extent of which is particularly important in chlorinated aliphatic solvents and at high catalyst concentrations. In additions, phenyl rings of the polymer are alkylated and halogenated by the solvent or catalyst. Infrared spectroscopic investigation of the structure of the products indicated that in most cases crosslinking was connected with the formation of 1,4-disubstituted, and eventually 1,2,4-trisubstituted benzenes. In carbon tetrachloride medium, meta substitution was also detected. In products obtained when polystyrene was treated with high amounts of the Lewis acid in CCl4 medium degrees of substitution even higher than three were probable. |
