FTIR INVESTIGATION OF THE INCLUSION COMPOUND FORMED BETWEEN TRANS-1,4-POLYISOPRENE AND UREA

Several small-molecule hosts form inclusion compounds (ICs) with polym ers. In these ICs the guest polymer chains are highly extended and iso lated from neighbouring polymer chains by the clathrate wall. Only pol ymers with extended conformations are narrow enough to reside in the n arrow channel. An inclusion compound has been formed between urea and trans-1,4-polyisoprene (TPI) and investigated using FTi.r. spectroscop y. Infrared bands observed for this IC indicate that the crystal struc ture of this IC is most likely different from the usual hexagonal. cry stal structure. It is also suggested that TPI in the channel adopts a conformation which is similar to bulk TPI with beta crystal modificati on.