LIVING CARBOCATIONIC POLYMERIZATION .7. LIVING POLYMERIZATION OF ISOBUTYLENE BY TERTIARY ALKYL (OR ARYL) METHYL-ETHER BORON-TRICHLORIDE COMPLEXES

It has been discovered that the living polymerization of isobutylene (IB) can be induced by MeOR**t/BCl//3 initiating systems in CH//2Cl//2 or CH//3Cl at minus 10 and minus 30 degree C. Diagnostic proof for the living polymerizations are 1) proportionality of M OVER BAR //n to polyisobutylene (PIB) formed and 2) independence of number of PIB chains of amount of PIB formed. By the use of aged C(CH//3)//3CH//2OMe/BCl//3 and C//6H//5C(CH//3)//2OME/BCl//3 systems, initiation efficiency (I//e//f//f) approximately equals 100% and M OVER BAR //n is determined by the left bracket monomer right bracket //0/ left bracket initiator right bracket //0 ratio. Polymerizations quenched by methanol yielded t-chloro end groups.