The Copolymerization of the Vinyl Monomer with a Cyclic Compound. III. The Cationic Copolymerization of Styrene with Substituted Ethylene Oxides

TLDR: In this article, the copolymerization of styrene with substituted ethylene oxides catalyzed by boron trifluoride - diethyl ether has been investigated.

Abstract: The copolymerization of styrene with substituted ethylene oxides catalyzed by boron trifluoride - diethyl ether has been investigated. In all cases, rather low-molecular-weight copolymers were obtained. The copolymerization reactivity of the substituted ethylene oxides with styrene varied with the substituents, in the order of: isobutene oxide>propylene oxide>styrene oxide>epichlorohydrin. This has been explained in terms of cross-propagation or the reaction of the growing oxide cation with styrene. The styrene unit content of the copolymer of styrene and epichlorohydrin increases with an increase in the solvent polarity and with an increase in the temperature. It has been concluded from the experimental results that the copolymerizability of alkylene oxide toward styrene is increased by the introduction of electron-releasing substituents into the oxide and by the use of a polar solvent at a moderate temperature.