Effect of aggregation of <i>p</i>‐phenylphenol on enzymatic polymer synthesis in dioxane/water mixture

Abstract

Abstract The state of p ‐phenylphenol molecules in dioxane/water mixture, a commonly used reaction system for enzymatic polymerization of phenols and aromatic amines, was investigated by difference UV absorption spectroscopy and Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy. The aggregate of p ‐phenylphenols is found on the basis of the exciton peaks observed in difference UV absorption spectra. FT Raman spectroscopy demonstrates further that p ‐phenylphenol molecules aggregate together in “face to face” fashion. A simplified model is proposed for aggregation of p ‐phenylphenol molecules in dioxane/water mixture, which can elucidate the variation of the molecular weight of poly ( p ‐phenylphenol) coupled in the reaction system. © 1995 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc.