Anionic polymerizations are of exceptional practical importance, but difficult to analyze due to the high reactivity of the growing polymer chains. Here, we demonstrate that electrospray‐ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) permits direct observation of the active carbanionic intermediates formed in the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of 1‐cyanocyclopropanecarboxylate in tetrahydrofuran. This includes the identification of a side product, as well as real‐time analysis of the polymerization reaction. From the mass spectra obtained, we can derive not only the mean molar mass and the polydispersity, but also the rate constants for the initiation and the individual propagation steps. The initiation proceeds significantly faster than the propagation steps. Accordingly, the examined reaction corresponds to a living polymerization, as we also confirmed by additional control experiments. Besides giving detailed insight into the reaction system probed here, we also expect the presented methodology to make possible the in‐situ analysis of further anionic polymerizations.
Electrospray‐ionization mass spectrometry easily distinguishes the different living oligomers resulting from the anionic ring‐opening polymerization of the acceptor‐substituted cyclopropane Mcyclic. Kinetic modeling reproduces the measured time evolution of the growing oligomers and affords the rate constants of the individual propagation steps. More information can be found in the Research Article by N. F. Eisele, M. Peters, and K. Koszinowski (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202203762).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.