Head-to-Head Polymers. XXIII. Toward Head-to-Head Poly(methyl Methacrylate). Cyclopolymerization of Methacrylic Acid Derivatives: Hydrolysis and Esterification

Abstract

N-Phenyldimethacrylamide was polymerized to a cyclopolymer which not only contains 94% five-membered rings, but more importantly also contains 6% six-membered rings in the cyclopolymer. In spite of extensive effort using drastic techniques of hydrolysis, the cyclopolymer could not be hydrolyzed to the polymeric acid. For comparison, dimethacrylic anhydride was cyclopolymerized under various conditions to produce polymers of various molecular weights which consisted essentially of six-membered rings in the polymer structure. It could be hydrolyzed and esterified to the polymeric methyl ester which was characterized by spectroscopic methods, particularly ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy, and compared with conventional poly (methyl methacrylate).