Statistical Chain Dimensions of Poly (vinyl acetal)-Type Molecules

Abstract

Abstract Acetalization of poly(vinyl alcohol) molecules results in acetal ring formation between two successive hydroxyl groups. This will dominate the chain stiffness of poly(vinyl acetal) in different ways, depending on the stereospecificity of poly(vinyl alcohol) used as the starting material. The present paper first deals with calculations of statistical dimensions of hypothetical poly(vinyl acetal) chains with a 100% degree of substitution and different stereospecificities (isotacticity and syndiotacticity). The calculations are essentially identical with those made by Wall and Markovitz, but recent stereochemical knowledges of the acetal ring and poly(vinyl alcohol) are taken into account. The results show that the chain dimension of poly-(vinyl acetal) chain derived from isotactic poly(vinyl alcohol) is much larger than that of poly(vinyl acetal) derived from the syndiotactic one. The treatment used above is extended to more realistic chains that have any degree of stereoregularity and of substitut...