Stereoselective alternating copolymerization of aliphatic acetylenes with sulphur dioxide

A number of purified terminal aliphatic acetylenic hydrocarbons has been copolymerized with liquid sulphur dioxide in the presence of t-butyl hydroperoxide at low temperature. Benzoyl peroxide, hydrogen peroxide and m-chloroperbenzoic acid were ineffective. Neither sulphur dioxide nor t-butyl hydroperoxide alone was capable of polymerizing pure alkynes. Aged (impure) alkynes were copolymerized with sulphur dioxide in the absence of t-butyl hydroperoxide. All resulting alkyne-SO₂ copolymers were alternating with 100% trans configuration regardless of the nature of the alkyne, the solvent, or temperature. Several studies were performed to characterize the polysulphones, such as infra-red spectroscopy, ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, melting point, viscosity, elemental analysis, solubility, film formation and flammability. A mechanism is proposed in which sulphur dioxide homolytically decomposes the organic hydroperoxide into free radicals which initiate the polymerization. The alkyne-SO₂ charge transfer complex is formed in solution, and the initiation and propagation steps probably involve this complex in equilbrium with its monomers.