Claims
- 1. A method for the step propagation, condensation type polymerization of an acyclic diene which comprises contacting said diene with a catalyst having the formula ##STR6## wherein: R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.4 may be the same or different and are alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, haloalkyl, haloaryl, haloaralkyl or a siliconcontaining analog thereof, R.sub.3 is alkyl, aryl, aralkyl or a substituent resulting from the reaction of the M.dbd.CH--R.sub.3 moiety of said catalyst with an acyclic diene being polymerized, and
- M is W or Mo,
- at a temperature and for a time sufficient to effect said polymerization of said diene and recovering said polymerized diene.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said diene has the formula: ##STR7## Wherein: R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, and R.sub.8 may be hydrogen, halogen substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms, said substituents on said alkyl groups being selected from the group consisting of those which do not interfere with the polymerization of said diene, and
- R.sub.9 and R.sub.10 may be any substituent which does not interfere with the polymerization of said diene, and
- Q may be any bridging group between said ene moieties which does not interfere with the polymerization of said diene;
- and said polymerization produces a polymer containing the recurring unit: ##STR8## Wherein: n is the degree of polymerization and is an integer in the range of from about 10 to about 1000, and R.sub.6, R.sub.9 and Q have the meanings ascribed above, and a compound having the formula: ##STR9## Wherein: R.sub.5, R.sub.10, R.sub.7 and R.sub.8 have the meanings ascribed above.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said compound [III] is continuously removed from the polymerization reaction medium to drive said polymerization reaction to completion
- 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said polymerization is conducted in the presence of a solvent for said catalyst.
- 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said polymerization is conducted in the presence of a solvent for said acyclic diene.
- 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said polymerization is conducted in the presence of a solvent for said polymerized diene.
- 7. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalyst [I] has the formula: ##STR10##
- 8. The method of claim 1 conducted at ambient temperature.
- 9. The method of claim 1 conducted at an elevated temperature up to about 300.degree. C.
- 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the mole ratio of said acyclic diene to said catalyst is from about 50:1 to about 10,000:1.
Statement of Rights to Invention Made Under Federally Sponsored Research
The present invention was made under research sponsored by the National Science Foundation--Solid State Chemistry (Grant DMR-8416511) and DARPA (URI Navy Grant N00014-86-G-0224).
US Referenced Citations (3)