Active center (polymer science)

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IUPAC definition

The site on a chain carrier at which reaction occurs.

Note: In the Gold Book, [1] the terms “active center” and “active site”

are defined with reference to heterogeneous catalysis and the term

“reactive site” is used within the definition of chain polymerization.

Jenkins, A. D..; Jones, R. G.; Moad, G. Pure Appl. Chem., 2010, 82(2), 483-491

An active center (sometimes called active site or kinetic-chain carrier) in polymer science refers to the site on a chain carrier at which reaction occurs. [2]

Related Research Articles

In polymer chemistry, living polymerization is a form of chain growth polymerization where the ability of a growing polymer chain to terminate has been removed. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Chain termination and chain transfer reactions are absent and the rate of chain initiation is also much larger than the rate of chain propagation. The result is that the polymer chains grow at a more constant rate than seen in traditional chain polymerization and their lengths remain very similar. Living polymerization is a popular method for synthesizing block copolymers since the polymer can be synthesized in stages, each stage containing a different monomer. Additional advantages are predetermined molar mass and control over end-groups.

In polymer chemistry, ring-opening polymerization (ROP) is a form of chain-growth polymerization, in which the terminus of a polymer chain attacks cyclic monomers to form a longer polymer. The reactive center can be radical, anionic or cationic. Some cyclic monomers such as norbornene or cyclooctadiene can be polymerized to high molecular weight polymers by using metal catalysts. ROP is a versatile method for the synthesis of biopolymers.

In polymer chemistry, an addition polymer is a polymer that forms by simple linking of monomers without the co-generation of other products. Addition polymerization differs from condensation polymerization, which does co-generate a product, usually water. Addition polymers can be formed by chain polymerization, when the polymer is formed by the sequential addition of monomer units to an active site in a chain reaction, or by polyaddition, when the polymer is formed by addition reactions between species of all degrees of polymerization. Addition polymers are formed by the addition of some simple monomer units repeatedly. Generally polymers are unsaturated compounds like alkenes, alkalines etc. The addition polymerization mainly takes place in free radical mechanism. The free radical mechanism of addition polymerization completed by three steps i.e. Initiation of free radical, Chain propagation, Termination of chain.

In organic chemistry and biochemistry, a side chain is a chemical group that is attached to a core part of the molecule called the "main chain" or backbone. The side chain is a hydrocarbon branching element of a molecule that is attached to a larger hydrocarbon backbone. It is one factor in determining a molecule's properties and reactivity. A side chain is also known as a pendant chain, but a pendant group has a different definition.

Chain-growth polymerization (AE) or chain-growth polymerisation (BE) is a polymerization technique where unsaturated monomer molecules add onto the active site on a growing polymer chain one at a time. There are a limited number of these active sites at any moment during the polymerization which gives this method its key characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reversible addition−fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization</span>

Reversible addition−fragmentation chain-transfer or RAFT polymerization is one of several kinds of reversible-deactivation radical polymerization. It makes use of a chain-transfer agent in the form of a thiocarbonylthio compound to afford control over the generated molecular weight and polydispersity during a free-radical polymerization. Discovered at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia in 1998, RAFT polymerization is one of several living or controlled radical polymerization techniques, others being atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP), etc. RAFT polymerization uses thiocarbonylthio compounds, such as dithioesters, thiocarbamates, and xanthates, to mediate the polymerization via a reversible chain-transfer process. As with other controlled radical polymerization techniques, RAFT polymerizations can be performed with conditions to favor low dispersity and a pre-chosen molecular weight. RAFT polymerization can be used to design polymers of complex architectures, such as linear block copolymers, comb-like, star, brush polymers, dendrimers and cross-linked networks.

Chain propagation (sometimes referred to as propagation) is a process in which a reactive intermediate is continuously regenerated during the course of a chemical chain reaction. For example, in the chlorination of methane, there is a two-step propagation cycle involving as chain carriers a chlorine atom and a methyl radical which are regenerated alternately:

Chain termination is any chemical reaction that ceases the formation of reactive intermediates in a chain propagation step in the course of a polymerization, effectively bringing it to a halt.

A telechelic polymer or oligomer is a prepolymer capable of entering into further polymerization or other reactions through its reactive end-groups. It can be used for example to synthesize block copolymers.

Chain transfer is a polymerization reaction by which the activity of a growing polymer chain is transferred to another molecule.

In IUPAC nomenclature of chemistry, a pendant group or side group is a group of atoms attached to a backbone chain of a long molecule, usually a polymer. Pendant groups are different from pendant chains, as they are neither oligomeric nor polymeric.

In polymer chemistry the kinetic chain length of a polymer, ν, is the average number of units called monomers added to a growing chain during chain-growth polymerization. During this process, a polymer chain is formed when monomers are bonded together to form long chains known as polymers. Kinetic chain length is defined as the average number of monomers that react with an active center such as a radical from initiation to termination.

Polyaddition is a polymerization reaction that forms polymers via individual independent addition reactions. Polyaddition occurs as a reaction between functional groups on molecules with low degrees of polymerization, such as dimers, trimers and oligomers, to form species of higher molar mass. Only at nearly complete conversions does the polymer form, as in polycondensation and in contrast to chain polymerization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interpenetrating polymer network</span>

An Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) is a polymer comprising two or more networks which are at least partially interlaced on a polymer scale but not covalently bonded to each other. The network cannot be separated unless chemical bonds are broken. The two or more networks can be envisioned to be entangled in such a way that they are concatenated and cannot be pulled apart, but not bonded to each other by any chemical bond.

Living free radical polymerization is a type of living polymerization where the active polymer chain end is a free radical. Several methods exist. IUPAC recommends to use the term "reversible-deactivation radical polymerization" instead of "living free radical polymerization", though the two terms are not synonymous.

Reversible deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs) are members of the class of reversible deactivation polymerizations which exhibit much of the character of living polymerizations, but cannot be categorized as such as they are not without chain transfer or chain termination reactions. Several different names have been used in literature, which are:

Ionic polymerization is a chain-growth polymerization in which active centers are ions or ion pairs. It can be considered as an alternative to radical polymerization, and may refer to anionic polymerization or cationic polymerization.

Reversible-deactivation polymerization (RDP) is a form of polymerization propagated by chain carriers the some of which at any instant are held in a state of dormancy through an equilibrium process involving other species.

In polymer chemistry, degenerative chain transfer is a process that can occur in a radical polymerization whereby reactivity of active centres are changed, hence significantly influencing the molecular weight distribution of the resulting product.

Chain scission is a term used in polymer chemistry describing the degradation of a polymer main chain. It is often caused by thermal stress (heat) or ionizing radiation, often involving oxygen. During chain cleavage, the polymer chain is broken at a random point in the backbone to form two - mostly still highly molecular - fragments.

References

  1. IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology , 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006) "Active center". doi:10.1351/goldbook.A00108
  2. Jenkins, A. D.; Jones, R. G.; Moad, G. (2010). "Terminology for reversible-deactivation radical polymerization previously called "controlled" radical or "living" radical polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2010)". Pure and Applied Chemistry . 82 (2): 483–491. doi: 10.1351/PAC-REP-08-04-03 . S2CID   98243937.