Recent Advances in Anionic Synthesis of Functionalized Elastomers Using Functionalized Alkyllithium Initiators

Abstract

Abstract The results described herein demonstrate the advantages of functionalized initiators with respect to the efficiency of α-chain-end functionalization and the ability to effect post-polymerization functionalization and linking reactions with the living ω-carbanionic chain ends. Not all functionalized initiators are useful, however, because either: (a) they are not soluble in hydrocarbon solvents; or (b) they are not reactive enough to initiate polymerization at rates which are competitive with propagation to prepare polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions and controlled molecular weights; or (c) they are either too difficult to prepare or too expensive to prepare to be readily available for commercial elastomer production. The advantages of using funcitonalized initiators, however, should encourage further scientific and technological developments in this area.