Hydroboration Copolymerization of Dienes and Dicyano Compounds with Thexylborane

Abstract

We describe here the synthesis of boron-containing copolymers having two different segments of organoboron and cyclodiborazane units by the combination of hydroboration polymerization of dienes and that of dicyano compounds with thexylborane. While an organoboron polymer from thexylborane and diene has no UV absorption, the reaction mixture of thexylborane, diene and dicyano compound gave the polymer which had the peak top molecular weight around 9000 in GPC detected by UV. This result indicates that the polymer obtained from these three monomers might be the copolymer having two segments. The composition of two segments in copolymer was determined by 1H NMR, and could be easily controlled by the feed ratio of dienes and dicyano compounds. From the results of air-bubbling experiments, the copolymers were found to have block-type structures. Various dienes and various dicyano compounds were used in this hydroboration copolymerization with thexylborane to produce the corresponding boron-containing copolymers.