FORMATION OF ELECTROGENERATED BASE BY THE ELECTROREDUCTION OF POLYACRYLAMIDES

The electroreduction of polyacrylamide derivatives in DMF using tetraa lkylammonium salts (R4NX) as supporting electrolytes has been found to yield the corresponding anionic species possessing interesting reacti vities as electrogenerated bases (EGBs). The homopolymer of n-methylac rylamide (MAAm) and its copolymers with N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) and styrene (St) were used as polymeric probases and the reactivity o f the resulting polymer EGBs was investigated. The polymer EGB prepare d from the copolymer of MAAm with DMAAm [copoly(MAAm-DMAAm)] containin g 65% of MAAm unit gave the best result in the trichloromethylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated esters (89%). It was also found that polymeric probases were easily recovered by reprecipitation and they were repea tedly useable as probases. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.