Polymérisation anionique de l'isoprène: Nature de la paire d'ions et stéréospécificité. II. Influence de la nature du solvant

The present work reports some new results on the dependence between the stereospecificity of the anionic propagation of isoprene and the nature of the active centers. The stereospecificity of the propagation of macroheterobicylce separated ion pairs does not depend on the nature of the alkali counterions, and the microstructure of the polyisoprenes obtained does not differ from that of those produced by free ions. Variations in the microstructure were observed in the propagation of contact ion pairs, depending on the nature of the cation and the solvent used. These variations are likely to be related to the degree of intimacy of the contact ion pairs. There are two main factors which affect the stereospecificity of the propagations in different ways: the size of the cation and the donating power of the solvent. Finally, the external solvation of the propagation ions pairs was confirmed by the microstructure of polyisoprenes synthesized in mixed (inert + donor) solvents.