Study about synthesis of polyarylacetylenes using cardanol and glycerol as raw materials

Abstract

Recently, studies aiming to preparation of nanomaterials for application in high technology areas are very advanced in developed countries. Liquid crystals have a vast application and for that; many researches are focused on the development of these special molecules. Polyarylacetylenes are polymers that can hold helicity if polymerization of the monomer occurs in the presence of appropriate metal catalysts. The aiming of this work is to prepare side-chain crystal-liquid helicoidal chiral polymers. These systems show a molecular structure in which the mesogenic unity (pendant) is sided-attached to the polymeric chain. If a chiral substituent is incorporated to the monomer, it will induct chirality of the polymer. Glycerol [1] and cardanol [2], obtained from renewable source, were formally coupled to form the epoxide 1 that in turn was treated with 4-ethylanyline in CHCl 3 at 120 o C in a sealed tube in the presence of pyridine, furnishing monomer 2 (40%). The next step it will be the enzymatic resolution of the alcohol 2 in order to achieve optical pure 2 . Sequentially, from monomer 2 , it is going to be synthesized the targeted stereoregular cis-trans polymer following known procedures, using [Rh(nbd)Cl]2 (nbd=2,5-norbornadiene) as the catalyst [4].