Cationic Polymerization of Exo-2,3-epoxynorbornane

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Abstract
The homopolymerization of exo-2,3-epoxynorbornane and its copolymerization with tetrahydrofuran were carried out at different temperatures in dichloroethane with triphenylmethyl hexafluoroarsenate as the initiator. The reaction products were characterized by infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as well as by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), viscometry, and differential scanning calorimetry. The products showed low viscosities and exhibited low glass transition temperatures. The GPC molecular weight distributions of the products prepared at different temperatures were multi-nodal, the proportions of the low molecular weight component being higher in reactions carried out at low temperatures. The NMR analyses of the products obtained at various temperatures suggest that the meso content in the polymer decreases as the temperature of reaction is increased.