Limonene as a renewable unsaturated hydrocarbon solvent for living anionic polymerization of β-myrcene

The acyclic monoterpene beta-myrcene is polymerized by anionic polymerization at room temperature using sec-butyllithium as the initiator and the cyclic monoterpene DL-limonene as an unsaturated hydrocarbon solvent. The polymerization is a living process and allows production of polymyrcenes with narrow molar mass distribution ((sic) similar to 1.06) and high content of 1,4 units (similar to 90%) as well as block copolymers.

Automated summary

The acyclic monoterpene beta-myrcene is polymerized by anionic polymerization using sec-butyllithium as the initiator and DL-limonene as a solvent at room temperature. The polymerization process is living, producing polymyrcenes with narrow molar mass distribution and high content of 1,4 units, as well as block copolymers.