KETENE ACETAL MONOMERS - SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

A new, facile, and high-yield synthesis of ketene acetals derived from readily available and inexpensive starting materials has been develop ed. For example, an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde can be condensed w ith an alkane diol to afford a 2-vinyl substituted cyclic acetal. This latter compound can be converted to the desired cyclic ketene acetal by isomerization of the double bond in the presence of tris (triphenyl phosphine) ruthenium(II) dichloride. Good to excellent yields of cycli c ketene acetals were obtained employing this method. The novel monome rs were fully characterized by IR, NMR, and by elemental analysis. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.