Thermolysis of RAFT-synthesized poly(methyl methacrylate)

Thermolysis provides a simple and efficient way of eliminating thiocarbonylthio groups from RAFT-synthesized polymers. The course of thermolysis of poly( methyl methacrylate) ( PMMA) prepared with dithiobenzoate and trithiocarbonate RAFT agents was followed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), H-1 NMR spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The weight loss profile observed depends strongly on the RAFT agent used during polymer synthesis. PMMA with a methyl trithiocarbonate end group undergoes loss of that end group at similar to 180 degrees C, at least in part, by a mechanism believed to involve homolysis of the C - CS2SCH3 bond and subsequent depropagation. In contrast, PMMA with a dithiobenzoate end appears more stable. Only the end group is lost at similar to 180 degrees C and the dominant mechanism is proposed to be a concerted elimination process analogous to that involved in the Chugaev reaction.