Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.35, No.5, 879-888, 1997
Optically-Active Dimethylsiloxane Copolymers with Nucleophilic Chiral Sulfur Groups Pendant to the Polysiloxane Chain
Polydimethylsiloxanes with part of the siloxane units bearing an optically active sulfoxide group were synthesized. These copolymers had chiral sulfur centres connected to the siloxane chain by a dimethylene bridge. They were obtained mostly by the kinetically controlled anionic ring-opening polymerization of 1-(2-organothioethyl) 1,3,3,5,5-pentamethylcyclotrisiloxanes, followed by stereoselective oxidation of prochiral groups to yield partially enantiomeric sulfoxide groups. Sulfoxides bearing cyclic monomers were also used. Polymers were characterized by spectroscopy and polarimetry.