SYNTHESIS AND IONIC POLYMERIZATION OF 1,2-EPOXY-3-NITROPROPANE

The synthesis of 1,2-epoxy-3-nitropropane (ENP) was improved so that t his monomer could be obtained in a pure, stable form with an acceptabl e yield. Anionic polymerization even using milder conditions causes is omerization of ENP into nitroallylic alcohol. Cationic polymerization using a classical initiator produces a mixture of compounds of low mol ecular weight. We have studied in detail the cationic polymerization o f ENP in the presence of a diol such as ethylene glycol (''Activated M onomer Mechanism'') : only the first two steps follow this latter, but a competitive mechanism takes over rapidly which limits severely the molecular weight of the products : this mechanism was analyzed.