PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYOXETANES ANCHORING THE PENDANT SPACER-SEPARATED PHENOLIC RESIDUES AND THEIR DERIVATIVES

Uncross- and cross-linked polyoxetanes bearing o-, m-, and p-phenolic residual groups at the terminals of moderately long pendant spacers -C H2O(CH2)(n)-, where n=4 and 6, were prepared. The prepolymers having t he pendant O-acetylated phenols were made by the BF3-initiated cationi c ring-opening polymerization and then the pendant phenyl acetates wer e hydrolyzed with 2N aqueous NaOH in methanol to give the desired phen olic polyoxetanes. The pendant phenols were subjected to the diazocoup ling reaction with 3 equiv of benzenediazonium chloride to examine the ir reactivities in aqueous media. Model polyoxetanes with the pendant phenyl benzoates containing the azo group were also prepared to confir m the structures of the diazocoupling product polymers.