Screw-sense-selective polymerization of aryl isocyanides initiated by a Pd-Pt mu-ethynediyl dinuclear complex: a novel method for the synthesis of single-handed helical poly(isocyanide)s with the block copolymerization technique

Living polymerization of chiral aryl isocyanides, such as m- and p-menthoxycarbonylphenyl isocyanides 2 and 5, initiated by the Pd-Pt mu-ethynediyl dinuclear complex 1, proceeds with a high screw-sense selectivity to give the poly(isocyanide)s 3 and 6, which exhibit a large specific rotation and an intense CD band at lambda = 364 nm as a consequence of a helical chirality. The molar optical rotation and molar circular dichroism of the resulting polymers 3 and 6 reach a constant value at a degree of polymerization (Pn) of more than 30. Screw-sense-selective polymerization of achiral aryl isocyanides that bear very bulky substituents, such as 3,5-di(propoxycarbonyl)phenyl isocyanide (11), 3,5-di(butoxycarbonyl)phenyl isocyanide (13), and 3,5-di(cyclohexyloxycarbonyl)phenyl isocyanide (15), is achieved by the use of chiral oligomer complexes 3(30) and 6(30), prepared from the reaction of 1 with 30 equivalents of 2 or 5, as an initiator to give predominantly single-handed helical polymers. In contrast, smaller aryl isocyanides are also polymerized by 3(30) and 6(30) with screw-sense selectivity in the initial stage of the reaction, but the single-handed helix is not preserved up to high molecular weight. Kinetic studies of the polymerization of (L)- and (D)-2, or (L)- and (D)-5 with chiral oligomer complexes (L)-3(50) or (L)-6(100) suggests that the screw sense of the polymer backbone is not controlled kinetically, but rather that the thermodynamically stable screw sense is produced.