Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel fluoro, methyl, and phenoxy ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO2CH2CH(CH3)2 (where R is 2-fluoro-5-methyl, 2-fluoro-6-methyl, 3-fluoro-2-methyl, 3-fluoro-4-methyl, 4-fluoro-2-methyl, 4-fluoro-3-methyl, 5-fluoro-2-methyl, 4-fluoro-3-phenoxy) 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 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis.