摘要 |
A process for the anionic polymerization of a conjugated 1,3-diene in a polar solvent consists of contacting the 1,3-diene with an organo alkali or alkaline earth metal initiator and a sterically hindered Lewis acid, allowing the 1,3-diene to polymerize in the polar solvent and terminating the polymerization reaction. Preferably the Lewis acid is a substituted triaryl derivative of a Group III element, especially boron. However in certain cases (e.g. where the aryl derivative itself is large) the Lewis acid may be an unsubstituted triaryl derivative of a Group III element. Suitable Lewis acids include trimesityl boron and tri (2,6-dimethylphenyl) boron. In preferred embodiments of the present process the 1,3-diene is butadiene, the polar solvent is tetrahydrofuran and the initiator is a difunctional initiator, especially an electron transfer reagent. The main advantages of the present process are that polymers with enhanced 1,4-content, a narrow molecular weight distribution and, in the case of telechelic polymers, with an enhanced difunctional specificity are obtained.
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