Vinyl ethers polymerized stereoselectively

Abstract

Taking a cue from chemistry that’s common in the pharmaceutical industry, chemists have used chiral anions to control stereochemistry when making poly(vinyl ethers). The resulting strong, adhesive polymers could find use in lightweight composites for making bicycles, boats, and cars, for example, according to Frank A. Leibfarth, a chemist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who spoke about the work last week at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Orlando, Florida. Until now, poly(vinyl ethers) have been considered niche products, Leibfarth said, because they’ve been atactic, meaning that the stereochemistry of the ether side chains coming off the polymer backbone has been random. The resulting polymers are viscous liquids at room temperature and are primarily used as adhesives. Leibfarth and postdoctoral associate Aaron J. Teator thought they could improve the properties of poly(vinyl ethers) by controlling the stereochemistry of the ether side chains so that they’re