Transetherification polycondensation: The roles of the catalyst, monomer structure, and polymerization conditions

Abstract A detailed study of the novel melt transetherification polycondensation process, which was recently developed in our laboratory, is presented. The efficacy of different catalysts, such as p‐toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), camphorsulfonic acid, and their pyridinium salts, was examined. The pyridinium salts, especially pyridinium camphorsulfonate (PCS), outperformed PTSA both in terms of the polymer molecular weights (the polydispersity) and the extent of discoloration of the polymer. The evolution of the molecular weight with the polymerization time was monitored with two different catalysts, PTSA and PCS, and these studies demonstrated that, while PTSA yielded polymers with a broad molecular weight distribution, the use of PCS curtailed possible side reactions that led to this broadening. Model reactions suggested that one possible reason for this broadening could be the formation of macrocyclics facilitated by an ether–ether exchange reaction, which was shown to occur much more rapidly when PTSA was used. A further interesting and rather unprecedented feature, which became apparent while the effect of the acid–catalyst concentration was being examined, was the dual role played by the acid, which acted both beneficially as a catalyst and detrimentally, defunctionalizing the chain end and terminating polymer growth. This conclusion was based on the observed decrease in the molecular weight of the polymer at very high catalyst concentrations, which suggested that there existed an optimum catalyst concentration at which a balance was struck between the molecular weight of the polymer formed and the polymerization time. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 102–111, 2004