Ring structure of cyclic poly(2-vinylpyridine) proved by pyrolysis-GC/MS

Poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) with cyclic structure was tentatively prepared through the reaction of linear P2VP having two living ends followed by cou pling with a bifunctional coupling agent. Thus, prepared crude product was fractionated by preparative size exclusion chromatography in order to enric h the cyclic polymer portion. Then the existence of the ring structure in t he fractionated P2VP sample was directly confirmed for the first time by py rolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry by detecting the characteristi c fragments reflecting the coupling moiety of the polymers at which the cou pling agent combined the living 2VP units at both functional points.