Structure of crotonic acid dimers and higher polymers with partial stereochemistry of the dimers

Abstract

Heating trans-crotonic acid (CH3—CH=CH—CO2H) yields labile high boiling compounds which have received some attention in the past. These have now been conclusively characterized as the two geometric isomers of a dimer of crotonic acid. In addition trimers and tetramers discovered in the thermally polymerized crotonic acid were isolated as their methyl esters and positively identified.