PROCESS FOR MAKING TERMINALLY FUNCTIONALIZED POLYMERS USING PROTECTED FUNCTIONAL INITIATOR

摘要

The invention relates to a process for making functionalized polymers, comprising the steps of: initiating polymerization of one or more unsaturated monomers with an initiator having structure (1), wherein R<1>, R<2> and R<3> are independently selected from saturated and unsaturated aliphatic and aromatic radicals, A is a hydrocarbon bridging group containing from 1 to 25 carbon atoms, and B is an alkali metal; polymerizing one or more unsaturated monomers in the presence of a polymerization termination inhibitor having no greater than two alkoxy groups, the alkoxy groups being pendent from adjacent carbon atoms in an aliphatic or cyclic hydrocarbon compound, each alkoxy group having from 1-10 carbon atoms; and recovering a linear or branched polymer having one or more terminal functional groups.