Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel difluoro and chlorofluoro ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel difluoro and chlorofluoro 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 at 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis.