Kinetics of Anionic Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone (εCL). Propagation of Poly-ε=CL-K+ Ion Pairs

Kinetics of the anionic polymerization of ε-caprolactone (εCL) initiated with (CH₃)₃SiO^?K⁺ and carried out in THF solution has been studied in the temperature range from 0 to 20°C by using a calorimetric method. From the kinetic results and from conductometric measurements of the dissociation constant of the living Poly-εCL^?K⁺ ion pairs (K_D ²⁰ ? (4 ± 2) × 10^?10 mol/L), we concluded that at the conditions indicated above and for concentrations of active centers ranging from 10^?3 to 3.7 × 10^?2 mol/L, propagation proceeds on the ion pairs and is disturbed neither by dissociation nor by the formation of higher aggregates. For the polymerization of εCL proceeding on the poly-εCL^?K⁺