Vinyltitanium as an initiator for the polymerization of acetylene

The preparation of lustrous conducting polyacetylene films by the polymerization of acetylene with vinyltitanium species as initiators was studied. Organotitanium species were generated by the alkylation of titanium vinylcarbene complexes with tert‐butyl chloride. Solid‐state ¹³C NMR and IR analyses of the obtained polyacetylene indicated that polyacetylene with a trans configuration was produced. The use of titanocene(II) species Cp₂TiP(OEt)₃]₂ and titanium vinylcarbene complexes for the preparation of polyacetylene films was also studied. The morphology of the films and the mechanisms of polymerization are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2663–2669, 2002