Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2007, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (8): 737-742.

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Synthesis and Catalytic Polymerization of Acetylene with Steric Substitute

ZHA Daijun1, CHEN Yiwang1,2*, CHEN Lie2, QIN Zhiyong1, ZHOU Dan1   

  1. 1 Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China; 2 Institute of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, Jiangxi, China
  • Received:2007-08-25 Online:2007-08-25 Published:2011-08-19

Abstract: A novel acetylene derivative, 2-propargyloxy-1,4-dimethyl terephthalate, was synthesized. The monomer acetylene with steric substitute was polymerized using WCl6, WCl6-SnPh4, and [Rh(nbd)Cl]2 as catalyst. The structure and optical properties of polyacetylene were studied by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The polymerization using WCl6-SnPh4 as catalyst afforded polyacetylene with only 60% of cis-content due to the steric substitute. The polymerization yield was strongly dependent on reaction temperature and solvent. High yield and high trans-content of polyacetylene were obtained by polymerization using [Rh(nbd)Cl]2 catalyst. The steric effect of bulky substitute led to a narrow conjugation of polyacetylene.

Key words: polyacetylene, catalytic polymerization, rhodium, transition metal catalyst, photoluminescence