Cyclopolymerization of dipropargylfluorene by transition-metal catalysts

A fluorene-containing spiro-type conjugated polymer, poly(dipropargylfluore ne), was synthesized via the cyclopolymerization of dipropargylfluorene by Mo- and W-based transition-metal catalysts. The polymerization of diproparg ylfluorene proceeded well by MoCl5 catalyst itself to give a quantitative y ield of polymer. The Mo-based catalysts are more effective than those of W- based catalysts. The structure of poly(dipropargylfluorene) was characteriz ed by various instrumental methods (NMR, IR, and UV-visible spectroscopies) to have the conjugated polymer backbone carrying fluorene moieties. Analys is of the C-13 NMR spectrum revealed that the polymer structure consists of only six-membered rings. The resulting poly(dipropargylfluorene)s were bro wn or black powder and soluble in aromatics and halogenated hydrocarbons su ch as benzene, chlorobenzene, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, and methylene ch loride. Thermal and morphological properties of the polymer are also discus sed. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.