H. Nagahara et al., INITIATION MECHANISM OF THE COPOLYMERIZATION OF 1,3,5-TRIOXANE AND ETHYLENE-OXIDE, Industrial & engineering chemistry research, 34(7), 1995, pp. 2515-2519
Initially, the initiation mechanism for the copolymerization of 1,3,5-
trioxane (TO) and ethylene oxide proposed the formation of 1,3-dioxola
ne from the reaction of ethylene oxide with formaldehyde, and this mec
hanism was believed plausible for a long time. Recently, we carefully
studied the bulk copolymerization of TO and ethylene oxide using boron
trifluoride-dibutyl ether as the initiator. Two novel cyclic formals,
1,3,5,7-tetraoxacyclononane (TOCN) and 1,3,5,7, -10-pentaoxacyclodode
cane (POCD), from the initiation reaction of the copolymerization of T
O and ethylene oxide were isolated and identified. From this discovery
, we proposed a new initiation mechanism for the copolymerization of T
O and-ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide reacts directly with TO to form T
OCN and POCD. From TOCN, 1,3,5-trioxepane (TOXP) is formed, and from T
OXP, 1,3-dioxolane is formed.