ISSN:
0887-624X
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Polymer and Materials Science
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
The spontaneous polymer formed from 3-hydroxyoxetane (HO), as first reported by Wojtowicz and Polak, is linear, low molecular weight, water-soluble, atactic, poly(3-hydroxyoxetane) (PHO) of high crystallinity with —OCH2CH(OH)CH2OH end units. The highly crystalline nature of this atactic polymer may be related to the crystalline nature of atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) since PHO can be considered a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and formaldehyde. Spontaneous PHO apparently is formed in a cationic polymerization by the carboxylic acids produced by the air oxidation of HO on standing at room temperature for several months. The polymerization can be duplicated by the addition of 2% hydroxyacetic acid to HO. The rate of this unusual cationic polymerization increases greatly with acid strength, e.g., trifluoromethanesulfonic acid reacts explosively with pure HO. A mechanism is proposed for this cationic polymerization. High molecular weight, water-soluble, linear atactic, and highly crystalline PHO (mp = 155°C) was made by polymerizing the trimethylsilyl ether of HO with the i-Bu3Al-0.7 H2O cationic catalyst followed by hydrolysis. Two 1H-NMR methods for measuring the tacticity of PHO were developed based on finding two different types of methylene units at 400 MHz with the methine protons decoupled. Also, an 1H-NMR method was developed for measuring branching in HO polymers. High molecular weight, linear PHO with enhanced isotacticity (80%) has been obtained in low yield as a water-insoluble fraction with Tm = 223°C. The low molecular weight PHO prepared previously by the base-catalyzed, rearrangement polymerization of glycidol is highly branched.
Additional Material:
16 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pola.1989.080270918
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