Journal of Polymer Science · 1959 · 151 citations · 3 references
Natural SciencesChemical EngineeringChemistryCatalysisPolymer ChemistryPolymer MaterialsCatalytic MaterialsMetal CatalysisOlefin PolymerizationPolymer SynthesisPolymerization ChemistryPolymerization ProcessesCationic PolymerizationCrystalline StructureEthylene PolymerizationMetal CatalystsPolymerization CatalystsPolymerization Of EpoxidesQuantitative EvidenceTransition Metal Catalysts
Abstract Ethylene, propylene, and styrene oxides have been polymerized by a range of metal halide catalysts, high molecular weight products being obtained from the two firstnamed. The limited quantitative evidence presented is consistent with the view that these polymerizations proceed by a coordinate propagation mechanism. The effective catalyst for this stage is essentially a metal alkoxide, formed in an initial cationic polymerization in which a small number of monomer units are attached to the metal atom. The propylene oxide polymers generally contain a fraction of crystalline material, but the proportion of this can be reduced practically to zero (with FeCl 3 catalysis) by careful exclusion of water.
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