GB1121195A - Preparation and uses of polymeric organolithium complexes - Google Patents

Abstract

A complex comprising a polymer which is derived from a hydrocarbon having a conjugated terminal double bond and has a plurality of lithium-amine groups attached to allylic, benzylic or aromatic carbon atoms is produced by reacting said hydrocarbon polymer with a non-aromatic tertiary-amine which is a diamine or an amine containing bridgehead nitrogen and with a compound LiR, in which R is an alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl, phenyl, alkylphenyl or phenylalkyl group containing not more than 30 carbon atoms. Suitable polymers are those derived from styrene, alpha-methyl styrene, butadiene or isoprene and mixtures thereof, including block polymers. The amine is preferably a chelating amine, e.g. an N,N, N1,N1-tetraalkylalkylene diamine, others specified including triethylene diamine, quinuclidine, 1-aza[2.2.1]-bicycloheptane, sparteine and azaadamantanes. The complex may be grafted with, e.g., styrene, methyl styrene, an alkylacrylate, acrylonitrile, isoprene or ethylene or, alternatively, reacted with compounds providing non-polymeric substituents. In the examples, the complexes are formed from N,N, N1,N1 - tetramethylethylene diamine, n-butyl lithium and polystyrene in Examples 1, 3 to 6 and 8 to 12, a styrene-isoprene copolymer in Example 2 and polyisoprene in Example 7. The polymers used in Examples 1 and 2 are prepared in solution in cyclohexane using a solution of the aforesaid amine and n-butyl lithium in ethyl benzene as catalyst and the polymer in Examples 9 and 21 is prepared using n-butyl lithium as catalyst. Graft polymers are prepared from the complexes of Examples 1 to 10, using as graft monomer (1) styrene, (2) to (4) and (7) isoprene, (5) acrylonitrile, (6) methyl methacrylate, and (8) to (10) ethylene. The complex of Example 11 is reacted with CO2 and that of Example 12 with acetone. The resulting products may be incorporated with lubricating oils, waxes or plastics.