Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel fluoro and chloro ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO₂CH₂CH(CH₃)₂ (where R is 2,3-difluoro, 2,4-difluoro, 2,6-difluoro, 3,4-difluoro, 3,5-difluoro, 2-chloro-4-fluoro, 2-chloro-6-fluoro, 3-chloro-2-fluoro, 3-chloro-4-fluoro, 4-chloro-3-fluoro) were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-disubstituted benzaldehydes and isobutyl cyanoacetate and characterized by CHN analysis, IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR. The acrylates were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation (ABCN) at 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis.