Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.36, No.13, 2209-2214, 1998
Transformation of the cationic growing center of poly(tetrahydrofuran) into an anionic one by bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)samarium
Transformation of the cationic growing center of living poly(tetrahydrofuran) [poly(THF)] into an anionic one was achieved in high efficiency (62%) by the end-capping of Living poly(THF) with potassium iodide followed by the reduction with bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)samarium (Cp*Sm-2), whereas the direct reduction with Cp*Sm-2 without the end-capping resulted in the formation of poly(THF) with pentamethylcyclopentadienyl group at the terminal. The increase in the molecular weight of poly(THF) after the reduction was observed, which indicates the presence of the dimerization of poly(THF) during the reduction. The polymerization of a variety of electrophilic monomers including delta-valerolactone, a-oxo-l,3-dioxane, and alkyl methacrylates with the macroanion provided good yields of the corresponding block copolymers consisting of both cationically and anionically polymerizable monomers.
Keywords:EPSILON-CAPROLACTONE;BLOCK COPOLYMERIZATION;SAMARIUM IODIDE;METHYL-METHACRYLATE;DELTA-VALEROLACTONE;POLYMERIZATION;COMPLEXES;TETRAHYDROFURAN;ETHYLENE;DERIVATIVES