Chloromethylated polystyrene reaction with tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine. I. Crosslinked polymers prepared by chloromethylated polystyrene with tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine

A multifunctional crosslinked polymer resulted from a chloromethylated polystyrene reaction with tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine. A benzyl chloride reaction (chosen as a structural unit model) with tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine was investigated to explain the reasons for the crosslinking. Amino-ethers and tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine hydrochloride in addition to ammonium quaternary salt were isolated from this reaction. The formation of amino-ethers proved that an ammonium quaternary salt rearrangement also takes place during the quaternization reaction. This rearrangement leads to chloromethylated polystyrene during its reaction with tris(2-hydroxyethyl)amine.