Tandem Reaction of Cationic Copolymerization and Concertedly Induced Hetero-Diels–Alder Reaction Preparing Sequence-Regulated Polymers

Abstract

A unique tandem reaction of sequence-controlled cationic copolymerization and site-specific hetero-Diels-Alder (DA) reaction is demonstrated. In the controlled cationic copolymerization of furfural and 2-acetoxyethyl vinyl ether (AcOVE), only the furan ring adjacent to the propagating carbocation underwent the hetero-DA reaction with the aldehyde moiety of another furfural molecule. A further and equally important feature of the copolymerization is that the obtained copolymers had unprecedented 2:(1 + 1)-type alternating structures of repeating sequences of two VE and one furfural units in the main chain and one furfural unit in the side chain. The specific DA reaction is attributed to the delocalization of the positive charge to the side furan ring.