POLYMER REACTION OF EPOXIDE AND CARBON-DIOXIDE - INCORPORATION OF CARBON-DIOXIDE INTO EPOXIDE POLYMERS

Polymeric epoxides can be converted to corresponding five-membered cyc lic carbonates effectively by the reaction with carbon dioxide. For in stance, poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) was quantitatively converte d to a polymethacrylate bearing a five-membered cyclic carbonate group (PDOMA) by the polymer reaction with carbon dioxide using alkali meta l or quaternary ammonium halide salt as a catalyst. The salts having m ore Lewis acidic cation and more nucleophilic anion acted as more effe ctive catalysts. Kinetic analyses of the polymer reaction show that th e reaction rate can be expressed by the empirical equation: -d[epoxide ]/dt = k[epoxide][catalyst](m), where m depends on the Lewis acidity o f the catalyst and molecular weight of the epoxide. The rate of the re action is independent of the pressure of carbon dioxide. Further, vari ous polymeric epoxides such as GMA copolymers, poly(glycidyl acrylate) , and poly(vinylbenzyl glycidyl ether) could be converted to the corre sponding polymers bearing five-membered cyclic carbonate moieties by t he reaction with carbon dioxide, whereas the presence of an aromatic g roup in the structure of the polymer could retard the reaction with ca rbon dioxide.