Substituent exchange reactions of sodium 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxide with trimeric and tetrameric aryloxycyclophosphazenes with phenoxy, 4-formylphenoxy, 4-cyanophenoxy and 4-nitrophenoxy side groups were conducted at 66 °C in THF and monitored by (31)P NMR and mass spectrometry. These are model reactions for their counterparts with high polymeric linear organophosphazenes. The ease of displacement of OAr in cyclic trimeric and tetrameric molecules by CF(3)CH(2)O increased significantly with the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents in the polyphosphazene in the order, phenoxy ≪ 4-formylphenoxy < 4-cyanophenoxy ≈ 4-nitrophenoxy. Fully substituted 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxyphosphazene trimer and tetramer were formed by side group exchange, but these reactions were followed by an attack by the nucleophile on the α-carbon of the 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy groups linked to phosphorus to give a species in which one trifluoroethoxy group had been replaced by an ONa unit, and bis(trifluoroethyl) ether was formed as a side product. On the other hand, only partly exchanged species were formed when sodium phenoxide reacted with the trifluoroethoxy phosphazene trimer and tetramer, but again a product with an ONa side group was formed eventually together with phenyltrifluoroethyl ether generated via alpha-carbon attack. The relative sensitivity of 2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy and phenoxyphosphazene cyclic trimers and tetramers to the presence of trifluoroethoxide was established.

Side group exchange reactions have been studied for linear high polymeric organophosphazenes, [NP(OR2)] n (n ∼ 15 000). Specifically, the exchange behavior of polymers was examined where OR = OCH2CF3, OCH2CF2CF2CF2CF2H, OCH2Cl3, OC6H4CHO-p, OC6H4CN-p, and OC6H4NO2-p with sodium trifluoroethoxide. No aryloxy group replacement by trifluoroethoxy was detected, probably due to the well-protected reactive sites of the polyphosphazenes shielded by aryloxy side groups. For the exchange behavior of [NP(OCH2CF3)2] n and [NP(OCH2CF2CF2CF2CF2H)2] n with NaOCH2CF2CF2CF2CF2H and NaOCH2CF3, partial substituent exchange was achieved for both reactions. Furthermore, under conditions with excess nucleophile these side group exchange reactions are followed by reactions that introduce sodium–oxo groups attached to phosphorus in place of organic substituents, and this is a mechanism for subsequent hydrolysis and molecular weight decline in the presence of water. Thus, the relative instability of high polymeric [NP(OCH2CF3)2] n in the presence of excess NaOCH2CF3 emerged as an explanation for problems with the synthesis of [NP(OCH2CF3)2] n and [NP(OCH2CF3) x (OCH2(CF2) m CF2H)2–x ] n , polymers that have attracted wide fundamental and practical interest. However, substituent exchange reactions do appear to be an alternative synthetic approach for the synthesis of some polyphosphazenes, especially mixed-substituted elastomers and the recently reported trichloroethoxy/trifluoroethoxy-containing cosubstituted polyphosphazenes.

Side-group-exchange reactions have been studied for short-chain linear oligomeric phosphazenes, (RO)(4)P[N═P(OR(2))](n)OR (n = 6, 10, 20, and 40) as models for the corresponding linear high polymers (n ~ 15000). Specifically, the exchange behavior of oligomers where OR = OCH(2)CF(3), OC(6)H(5), OC(6)H(4)CHO-p, OC(6)H(4)CN-p, and OC(6)H(4)NO(2)-p with sodium trifluoroethoxide was examined. The ease of aryloxy group replacement by trifluoroethoxy increased with the electron-withdrawing character in the order OR = OC(6)H(5) ≪ OC(6)H(4)CHO-p < OC(6)H(4)CN-p < OC(6)H(4)NO(2)-p, but the reaction was efficient only if the phosphazene contained no more than 20 repeating units. However, attempts to force slower reactions by the use of excess sodium trifluoroethoxide induced secondary reactions at the trifluoroethoxy units already introduced to produce CF(3)CH(2)OCH(2)CF(3) and generate -O(-)Na(+) units in their place. The longest chain model underwent side-group-exchange reactions preferentially at the end units. These results are significant for the synthesis of phosphazene high polymers with fluoroalkoxy and aryloxy side groups.