Chiral polymer materials: elucidation of the effect of comonomers on copolymer optical activity during asymmetric copolymerization of 1,2-disubstituted olefins

Abstract

Asymmetric copolymerization of styrene derivatives (la and 2a) with 1,2 disubstituted vinyl monomers, viz., N-substituted maleimide and citraconimide derivatives (2 and 3), was carried out. Asymmetric induction was brought about by the chiral auxiliaries linked to the styrene monomer in the form of a reversible azomethine protective group. Facile and quantitative removal of these moieties makes it possible to estimate the extent of asymmetric induction unequivocally. Spectroscopic and chiroptical techniques were employed to study the chiral structures of these copolymers. The effect of the nature of the comonomers on the asymmetric induction is discussed.