N-VINYLFORMAMIDE - BUILDING-BLOCK FOR NOVEL POLYMER STRUCTURES

N-Vinylformamide (NVF, N-ethenylformamide) is a precursor to amide and amine functional polymers and to other monomers, oligomers, and funct ional polymers. NVF shows attractive physical and toxicological proper ties and high reactivity, both in polymerization and in subsequent hyd rolysis to cationic and reactive amine functional polymers or oligomer s. NVF radical polymerization readily yields water soluble homopolymer s with molecular weights from 10(4) to > 10(6). Copolymerizability is similar to other vinyl amides. Unexpectedly, NVF will also undergo cat ionic oligomerization. Hydrolysis of polymers and copolymers with base or acid is facile, although reactions with neighboring groups (e.g., with coacrylate ester groups to give lactams) complicate copolymer hyd rolysis. Reaction of NVF at the unusually acidic NH group allows react ion with isocyanates to give vinylacylureas or Michael addition to acr ylates to give a family of new N-vinylformamidopropionate esters. Thes e esters in turn react with functional amines to generate new families of divinyl, vinyl/alcohol functional, or vinyl/amino functional comon omers. Applications for NVF and its derived monomers and polymers appe ar numerous, in particular in radiation cure coatings, based on their good physical and toxicological properties.