WHOLLY AROMATIC POLYMERIC KETONES FROM BIS-(ALPHA-AMINONITRILE)S VIA SOLUBLE POLY(BISAMINONITRILE)S

Condensation of the dianion of the bisaminonitrile alpha,alpha'-dicyan o-alpha,alpha'-bis(di methylamino)-m-xylene (8) with bis[p-(p-fluroben zoyl)phenyl] ether (9) and 2;6-dibromopyridine (12) yielded the corres ponding new poly(bisaminonitrile)s ,alpha'-dicyano-alpha-alpha'-bis(di methylamino)-m- xylyl]-p-phenylenecarbonyl-p-phenylene) (10) and cyano -alpha,alpha'-bis(dimethylamino)-m-xylyl-2-6- pyridinediyl] (13), resp ectively. Acidic hydrolysis of the readily soluble poly(bisaminonitril e)s 10 and 13 deprotected the carbonyl groups and afforded the new pol yketones l-m-phenylenecarbonyl-p-phenylarbonyl-p-phenylene) (PEKKKK, 1 1) and poly(carbonyl-m-phcnylenecarbonyl-2, 6-pyridinediyl) (14), resp ectively. PEKKKK II is insoluble in organic solvents, but polyketopyri dine 14 is soluble in acidic aqueous media. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.