Unlted States Patent [19] [11] Patent Number: 4,816,521 Asrar [45] Date of Patent: Mar. 28, 1989 [54] CY CLOPENTADIENYLENE VINYLENE 4,022,954 5/1977 Kurosawa et a1. ........... .. 525/366 X POLYMERS 4,316,978 2/1982 Kennedy et a1. .. 526/348.7 4,412,044 10/1983 Takahashi et a1. ........... .. 525/366 X [75] Inventor: Jawed Asrar, Wilbraham, Mass. FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS [73] Assignee: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo. [21] Appl. No.: 54,633 3224159 12/1983 Fed. Rep. of Germany_ 525/3272 _ Primary Examiner—Edward J. Snuth, Jr. [221 Flled‘ May 27’ 1987 Assistant Examiner-F. M. Teskin [s1] rm. cu ........................ .. cosr 32/04; C08F 8/00 Amine» Agent, or Firm-Thomas E- Kelley; William J [52] US. Cl. ............................ .. 525/3273; 525/3295; Famngton 525/326.1; 525/366; 526/280; 526/281; 7 TR, 526/269; 428/409; 428/411.1; 264/33l.17 [5 ] _ ABS _ Cr _ _ ' [58] Field of Search ............................. .. 526/269, 281; Polycyclopentadlenylene vmylene exhlbltmg Solvent 525/3273, 328.6, 329.5, 366, 327.2; 428/523, resistance, e.g. to chlorinated solvents such as chloro 409, 411,1; 264/331,17 form and methylene chloride and to amine solvents . such as dimethylformamide, is prepared by removal of [56] References cued acid groups from precursor polymer having norbornene U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS dioxo derivatives. 3,330,815 7/1967 McKeon et a1. ................. .. 260/93.1 3,959,234 5/ 1976 Kurosawa et a1. ................. .. 260/78 4 Claims, N0 Drawings 4,816,521 1 2 CYCLOPENTADIENYLENE VINYLENE POLYMERS CH=CH— BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 Disclosed herein are conjugated polymers, e.g. poly- ‘'3 ‘.3 mers of cyclopentadienylene vinylene together with R1 R2 methods of making and using such polymers. Cyclopentadiene units have been incorporated into As used herein the term “norbornene dioxocarbonyl” polymers having saturated hydrocarbon chains. For < refers to the Diels-Alder adduct of cyclopentadiene instance, Kennedy et al. in US. Pat. No. 4,316,978 dis and vinylene carbonate which is identi?ed as a substan close polymers having cyclopentadiene groups and tially endo stereoisomer. As used herein the term McKeon et al. in US. Pat. No. 3,330,815 (e.g. Examples 15 and 16) disclose addition polymerization of dicyclo “endo” refers to the stereoisomer form of a monomer pentadiene. 15 such as norbornene dioxocarbonyl in which the oxygen atoms and the double bond are both on the same side of SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION the surface of the saturated ?ve-membered ring of the I have discovered novel polymers having cyclopenta monomer unit. Conversely, the term “exo” refers to the diene incorporated directly into an unsaturated hydro stereoisomeric form of such monomer units in which the oxygen atoms and the double bond are on opposite carbon polymer chain as units of cyclopentadienylene sides of the surface of the saturated ?ve-membered ring vinylene. As used herein the term “cyclopentadienylene of the monomer unit. vinylene” refers to polymers having units of the struc tural formula As stated above R1 and R2 are independently hydro gen or a hydrocarbon group such as acyl, alkyl, aryl, 25 alkaryl, or arylalkyl group or jointly are a bivalent hydrocarbon group. In some cases useful precursor polymers will be provided with the oxygen atoms bonded to a single carbonyl group, e.g. as in the endo stereoisomeric Diels-Alder adduct of cyclopentadiene Accordingly, this invention relates to polymers com 30 and vinylene carbonate (a substantially endo stereoiso prising cyclopentadienylene vinylene and methods of mer). In other cases it is preferred that the precursor making and using such polymers. polymers be provided with the oxygen atoms bonded to lower acyl groups, e.g. as the acetate esters of norbor DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED nene diol. EMBODIMENTS 35 The polymers of this invention can be prepared from Polymers provided by this invention which comprise precursor polymers comprising dioxo cyclopentane units of cyclopentadieneylene vinylene exhibit LR. ab vinylene units by removing the 0x0 groups and alpha sorption at about 1640 cm“, a characteristic of conju hydrogen, e.g. by removing ester groups as carboxylic gated double bonds. acids or by removing dioxocarbonyl groups as carbonic Polymers comprising cyclopentadienylene vinylene acid. Such oxo group removal can be effected by a are substantially resistant to solvents for polymers, in strong base, e.g. an alkali metalpalkoxide such as sodium cluding chlorinated solvents such as methylene chlo methoxide, or by pyrolysis. ‘ ride, chloroform and the like and amide solvents such as ‘ A convenient starting material for the precursor pol dimethylformamide. This solvent resistance is advanta ymers of this invention is the endo stereoisomeric Diels geous in providing articles which comprise bulk precur 45 Alder adduct of cyclopentadiene and vinylene carbon sor polymer and a surface layer polymer comprising ate (norbornene dioxocarbonyl). Precursor polymer can cyclopentadienylene vinylene. Solvent resistance inhib be prepared by metathesis ring opening polymerization its swelling and penetration of agents to the bulk poly to provide a polymer having monomer units of the mer. following structure: The precursor polymers of this invention are pre pared from monomer units of norbornene dioxo deriva~ tives, e.g. norbornene dioxocarbonyl and/ or diesters of norbornene diol; such monomer units are of the struc tural formula 55 ‘WCH=CH— O O C II O-R1 0 O-R2 Alternatively, norbornene dioxocarbonyl can be hy drolyzed to norbornene diol, e.g. by use of a base such where R1 and R2 are independently hydrogen or an as potassium hydroxide. The norbornene diol is often acyl, alkyl or aryl group or together are a carbonyl, not readily polymerizable by metathesis ring opening methylene or substituted methylene group. methods using transition metal catalysts since the hy Such norbornene dioxo derivatives can be formed by 65 droxyl groups are deleterious to such commonly used metathesis ring-opening polymerization into precursor catalysts. Norbornene diol can, however, be esteri?ed, polymers comprising dioxo cyclopentane vinylene units e.g. to provide a diester of norbornene diol such as of the structural formula norbornene diacetate. Such diesters of norbornene diol 4,816,521 3 are readily amenable to metathesis ring-opening poly merization to provide precursor polymers comprising monomer units of the following structure: CH=CH OH which are detected by LR. spectroscopic analysis by an absorption band at about 3400 cm- 1, a characteristic of hydroxy groups. The following disclosure is provided to illustrate speci?c embodiments and aspects of the polymers of this invention but is not intended to imply any limitation where R3 and R4 are independently hydrogen or an of the scope of this invention. Temperatures are re alkyl or aryl group or are jointly a bivalent alkyl, aryl, 15 ported in degrees Celsius. alkaryl or aralkyl group. Metathesis ring opening polymerization is advanta EXAMPLE 1 geously carried out at moderate temperatures, e.g. be This example serves to illustrate the preparation of tween about 25° C. and about 100° C. in a reaction norbornene dioxocarbonyl. medium comprising an aprotic solvent, e.g. chlorinated 12.4 ml of dicyclopentadiene, 52.8 g of vinylene car solvent such as chloroethane. Such catalysts are known bonate, and 0.4 g hydroquinone were added to 12.4 ml in the art and are disclosed for instance in US. Pat. No. of toluene. The mixture was held at about 160° for about 3,959,234, incorporated herein by reference. A pre 18 hours, and the temperature was reduced to about 45° ferred catalyst comprises the reaction product of tung and the pressure reduced to about 5 mm to remove sten hexachloride and an acetal, e.g. 1,1-diethoxy eth 25 residual vinylene carbonate. Norbornene dioxocarbo ane. Preferably, the- polymerization reaction medium nyl was recovered at about 100% yield by raising the will also contain as an activator an aluminum alkyl such solution temperature to about l30°—l40° and lowering as diethyl aluminum chloride, triisobutyl aluminum or the pressure to about 2 mm. Norbornene dioxocarbonyl, the like. Higher yields of polymers of higher inherent purified by recrystallization from carbon tetrachloride, viscosity have been achieved with triisobutyl aluminum exhibited a melting point of l14°—1l5°. as the activator. The polymerization reaction medium should be kept dry and free of contaminants, e.g. water, EXAMPLE 2 alcohols, etc., that may interact with catalyst and/or This example serves to illustrate the preparation of activator to undesirably reduce catalytic activity. norbornene diol and norbornene diacetate. Optionally, precursor polymers can be copolymers 8 grams of norbornene dioxocarbonyl, prepared as in comprising any of the well-known monomers that un Example 1, was dissolved in 120 ml of aqueous sodium dergo metathesis ring-opening polymerization such as hydroxide (12 g NaOH). The solution was re?uxed for norbornene, and derivatives thereof, e.g. norbornene about 6 hours, held at room temperature for about 16 nitrile, dicyclopentadiene and the like. It is, of course, hours, neutralized with 10% HCl, and then saturated preferred that the precursor be predominately of dioxo 40 with sodium chloride. Norbornene diol extracted with cyclopentane vinylene units. ethyl ether exhibited a melting point of about l76°—l77°. The precursor polymers of this invention recovered A solution of 11 grams of norbornene diol (prepared from such polymerization solutions can be advanta as above) in 100 ml pyridine was cooled by dry ice. 45 geously provided in a desired product form by conven ml of acetic anhydride was added to the cooled solu tional thermoplastic processing, e.g. by injection ‘mold 45 tion. The solution was held in the dry ice bath for about ing or by casting from solutions. Alternatively, metathe 30 minutes then allowed to sit at room temperature for sis ring-opening polymerization is advantageously car about 16 hours, poured into an ice water slurry, ex ried out as a bulk polymerization process, e.g.