| Abstract: | The anionic polymerization of δ-valerolactone initiated by KC24 in xylene or tetrahydrofuran was investigated. The influence of the polymerization conditions on the amount and composition of the oligomers fraction and high polymers formed was tested. Experiments were done with a potassium mirror and benzophenone-potassium as initiators of the polymerization to check the influence of the layered structure of the initiator. It was found that the amount of the oligomers formed under comparable conditions increases in the order KC24 (9%), potassium mirror (22%), benzophenone-potassium (56%). The highest yields of poly(δ-valerolactone) (over 90%) and highest intrinsic viscosities (1.0 dL/g and more) were achieved by the KC24-initiated polymerizations in xylene. |
