Improved Reactivity in the Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone with a Trinuclear Titanium(IV) Oxochloroneopentoxide as Initiator

Siddhartha Giese, Thiago Silva, David L. Hughes Hughes, André Luis Rüdiger, Eduardo de Sá, Sônia Zawadzki, Jaísa Soares, Giovana Nunes
2016 Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society  
The complex [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] and two iron(II)-containing products, [Fe 4 Cl 8 (thf) 6 ] and [Fe 2 Cl 3 (thf) 6 ][FeCl 4 ], were synthesized by a redox reaction involving [Ti 3 (O i Pr) 11 ][FeCl 4 ] and neopentanol; the structures of compounds [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] and [Fe 2 Cl 3 (thf) 6 ][FeCl 4 ] have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction methods. Variable-temperature 1 H NMR analysis of [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep ) 9 ] revealed signals for three non-equivalent neopentoxides in the 1:1:1
more » ... ation ratio, indicating the maintenance of the trinuclear structure in solution. Alkoxide [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] was employed as initiator in both bulk and solution polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) at various temperatures, monomer/initiator molar ratios and reaction times. [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] produced poly(ε-caprolactone) in high yields, with molecular weights ranging from 7100 to 9800 g mol -1 and PDI (polydispersity index) values between 1.3 to 1.5. The reactivity of [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] in the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-CL was compared to those of [Ti 3 (O i Pr) 11 ][FeCl 4 ] and [Ti(O i Pr) 4 ]. The better polymerization reactivity shown by [Ti 3 (O)(Cl)(ONep) 9 ] seems to be associated with structural features, as well as with the stronger Lewis basicity of −ONep over −O i Pr ligands and the maintenance of the trimetallic structure in the reaction media.
doi:10.21577/0103-5053.20160321 fatcat:p6iyc5mem5cxnbnkewon446wyi