A NOVEL ROUTE TO POLYIMIDES VIA POLYAMIC ARYL AMIDES .2. A STUDY ON MODEL COMPOUNDS

A new synthetic route to polyimides was studied on monofunctional mode l compounds by the reaction of various 4-substituted phenyl-phthalisoi mides with paratoluidine to form asymmetrically substituted diphthalam ides followed by thermal cyclization to phthalimide. Both steps of the preparation pathway were kinetically explored. It was determined that the first step is governed by second order constants directly depende nt upon the pK(a) of the amine used to prepare the beginning isoimide as well as the regioselectivity of the last step.