Polymerization of tetrahydrofuran by the AlEt₃‐H₂O‐promoter system. II. Behavior of promoter in initiation

Abstract

Abstract The initiation mechanism of the tetrahydrofuran polymerization catalyzed by the AlEt 3 –H 2 O(2:1)‐epichlorohydrin system was studied. The products formed by treatment of the polymerization system at an early stage with sodium methoxide was examined by v.p.c. analysis. It has been shown that the cationic ring‐cleavage of epichlorohydrin i.e. , the formation of a cyclic trialkyloxonium ion, constitutes the initiation reaction. This finding is consistent with the assumption of the mechanism for the initiating behavior of reactive oxacyclic compounds according to the proposal “promoter”.