| Abstract: | The relationship between the relative reactivities of ten cyclic ketene acetals and their structures was determined via cationic copolymerizations of eight different monomer pairs. Thus, 2-methylene-1,3-dioxolane (1) was copolymerized with 2-methylene-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (2), 2-methylene-4,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane (3), 2-methylene-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3-dioxolane (4), 2-methylene-4-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane (5), and 2-methylene-4-(t-butyl)-1,3-dioxolane (6). Also 2-methylene-1,3-dioxane (7) was copolymerized with 2-methylene-4-methyl-1,3-dioxane (8), 2-methylene-4,4,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxane (9), and 2-methylene-4-isopropyl-5,5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane (10). The relative reactivities of these monomers are: 3 > 5 > 4 > 2 > 1 > 6; and 10 > 9 > 8 > 7. In spite of steric demands, substituents at the 4- or 5-positions in 2-methylene-1,3-dioxolane and substituents at the 4- or 6-positions in 2-methylene-1,3-dioxane serve to increase the copolymerization reactivity. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2841–2852, 1999 |
