Synthesis and Styrene Copolymerization of Novel Fluoro and Oxy Ring-Disubstituted Isopropyl Phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel fluoro and oxy ring-disubstituted isopropyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO₂CH(CH₃)₂ (where R is 2-fluoro-3-methoxy, 2-fluoro-4-methoxy, 2-fluoro-5-methoxy, 2-fluoro-6-methoxy, 3-fluoro-4-methoxy, 4-fluoro-3-methoxy, 5-fluoro-2-methoxy, 4-fluoro-3-phenoxy) were prepared and copolymerized with styrene. The monomers were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-substituted benzaldehydes and isopropyl cyanoacetate and characterized by CHN elemental analysis, IR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR. All the ethylenes were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation (ABCN) at 70°C. The composition of the copolymers was calculated from nitrogen analysis, and the structures were analyzed by IR, ¹H and ¹³C-NMR, GPC, DSC, and TGA.