F. Schue et al., THERMOLYTIC BEHAVIOR OF POLYBUTADIENYLLITHIUM AND POLYSTYRYLLITHIUM IN ETHYLBENZENE AT HIGH-CONCENTRATIONS, Die Makromolekulare Chemie. Macromolecular symposia, 67, 1993, pp. 213-222
The polymerization of butadiene and styrene with lithium and lithium a
lkyls has been extensively studied. The kinetics and mechanism of the
pyrolysis of alkyllithium compounds has also been investigated thoroug
hly. The mechanism of these elimination reactions is conveniently eluc
idated by manometric methods, and mechanistic interpretations have bee
n proposed. However, there are less published accounts of the thermal
stability of polymer-lithium systems. There is a need to have kinetic
data describing the thermal termination of ''living'' polymers at lith
ium concentrations approaching those of commercial polymerization syst
ems. This paper will discuss the thermal stabilities of concentrated s
olutions in ethylbenzene of polystyryllithium and polybutadienyllithiu
m.