Abstract: | o-(Trimethylgermyl)phenyl]acetylene was polymerized in the presence of WCl6, W(CO)6-hv, etc., to give polymers whose weight-average molecular weights reached ca. 7.0 X 105 at the highest. When the MoOCl4-n-Bu4Sn-EtOH (1 : 1 : 1) catalyst was used, the polydispersity ratio of the polymer obtained was 1.08, and the number-average molecular weight increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion; these indicate that this polymerization is a living polymerization. The polymer had the structure ? CH?C(C6H4-o-GeMe3)]n ? and was a dark purple solid (λmax = 551 nm, εmax = 6100 M-1 cm-1 in THF) soluble in organic solvents such as toluene and chloroform. The onset temperature of weight loss of the polymer in TGA in air was ca. 230°C, and the glass transition temperature was above 180°C. The Po2 of the present polymer is 105 barrers—larger than the value of natural rubber and fairly close to that of poly(dimethylsiloxane). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |