Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.34, No.6, 1083-1085, 1996
The Effect of Solvents and Polyethylene-Glycol on the Synthesis of Linear and Cyclic Poly(Methylene Sulfide)
The condensation polymerization of sodium sulfide with methylene chloride in various solvents was studied in order to assess the influence of polarity on the yield and composition of condensation products. The effect of addition of polyethylene glycol was also studied. It has been found that the overall yield of polythiomethylenes rises from 13.9% in methanol to 85.2% (methanol, PEG15000). The use of solvents of higher polarity promotes the linear oligomers, whereas in methanol the cyclic products predominate. In presence of PEG the this equilibrium is shifted towards tetrathiane. The observed phenomena are discussed in terms of solvents polarity and reaction media viscosity.