REACTIONS OF POLYSTYRYL ANIONS WITH CARBON-DIOXIDE AND OXYGEN - ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTS BY SILICA-GEL CHROMATOGRAPHY

In the reported experiments, polystyryllithium was prepared by anionic polymerization, and this ″living polymer″ as well as the polystyrylmagnesium bromide derived from it were treated with carbon dioxide (solid or gas). The highest yields of carboxylic acid were obtained when solid carbon dioxide was used with polystyryllithium or by treatment of polystyrylmagnesium bromide with gaseous carbon dioxide. The products from the reaction of polystyryllithium with oxygen were polymeric ketone X, the alcohols IXa and IXb, and coupling products (e. g. , XI). The various functionalized and unfunctionalized polystyrene products were isolated by chromatography (TLC), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with chemical transformations.