A3 polycondensation: A multicomponent step-growth polymerization reaction for the synthesis of polymeric propargylamines

Abstract

Multicomponent reactions lead to the straightforward synthesis of organic compounds in a one-pot manner. The three-component coupling of aldehydes or ketones with amines and alkynes, commonly known as A3 or KA2 coupling, respectively, is a convenient, highly efficient strategy for the synthesis of propargylamines, a family of compounds with multifaceted chemical behavior. Transferring this multicomponent strategy into the polymer synthesis field can lead to polymers bearing a variety of properties and possible applications. Herein, we report the efficient, straightforward, air tolerant, and sustainable synthesis of various new polymeric propargylamines, in very high to excellent yields. A highly-reactive, earth-abundant, inexpensive, well-defined copper catalyst is employed. An extensive thermal degradation study of the new polymers is also carried out.