Poly(alkylene oxide) ionomers. X. Copolymerization of methyl ω‐epoxyalkanoates and characterization of the polymers

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Abstract
Selected methyl ω‐epoxyalkanoates ranging from methyl 3,4‐epoxybutanoate to methyl 7,8‐epoxyoctanoate were copolymerized with a number of oxiranes and with oxetane. Tetrahydrofuran did not take part in the attempted methyl ω‐epoxyalkanote–tetrahydrofuran copolymerization, but acted only as the solvent. The oxirane copolymers had polymer compositions similar to the comonomer feed ratio. Oxirane comonomers used were propylene oxide (1,2‐epoxypropane), butylene oxide (1,2‐epoxybutane), 1,2‐epoxyhexane, epichlorohydrin, and phenylglycidyl ether. The initiator system used was triethylaluminum/water/acetylacetone (1.0/0.5/1.0) in about 5 mol %. In the copolymerizations using methyl 3,4‐epoxybutanoate as a comonomer, only small yields of polymer (in the range of 1 to 2%) were realized, while for methyl 4,5‐epoxypentanoate the yields were generally in the range of 20 to 60%. Methyl 7,8‐epoxyoctanoate copolymerized readily and gave yields of copolymers of 50 to 90%.