SYNTHESIS AND POLYMERIZATION OF ORTHO-HEXYLANILINE - CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CORRESPONDING POLYANILINE

In the field of research on soluble conducting polymers, the poly(omicron-alkylanilines) are very interesting because we can expect them to give more soluble polymers and new properties. Like poly(omicron-propylaniline) (POP), which is more soluble than polyaniline (PANi), poly(omicron-hexylaniline) (POH) appears to be more soluble in organic solvents than POP because of the longer alkyl groups in the 2-position. The higher solubility confers better processability on this new polymer, and because of this solubility, an NMR study in solution became possible. The nitration of hexylbenzene and the reduction of the resulting product to omicron-hexylaniline were performed according to the literature. The chemical polymerization was easy and it is possible to produce this polymer in large quantities. The polymerization carried out in anhydrous NH4F, 2.35 HF medium and in 5 M perchloric acid gave a polymer with almost quantitative yield. The electrochemical behaviour of POH displayed faster electron transfers than PANi in organic solvents, depending on the acido-basicity level of the aqueous solutions. Unlike PANi, fractal growth was not observed.