The effect of electrondonors on the polymerization kinetics of isoprene

Abstract

The effect of small additions of 1-octene, butyl ethyl ether and triethylamine on the polymerization kinetics of isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) in benzene initiated with butyllithium was investigated by employing the GLC analysis. The addition of 1-octane was reflected only in a shorter induction period of the reaction; the effect on the propagation rate was insignificant. With the increasing amount of butyl ethyl ether, the polymerization rate increases linearly, while the reaction order with respect to the concentration of triethylamine is variable and increases from 0.33 to 0.66 with the increasing concentration of the initiator. For a constant concentration of triethylamine, the reaction order with respect to the initial concentration of the initiator was found to vary considerably, reaching even negative values. A reaction scheme was suggested, taking into account the competition between two different solvates of alkyllithium.