A novel synthesis of reactive polyethers with pendant chloromethyl group by polyaddition of bis(epoxide)s with aromatic dichlorides

New polyethers with pendant chloromethyl groups were successfully synthesized by a polyaddition of bisepoxides with 4,4′-dichloro-3,3′-dinitrodiphenyl sulfone (DCNS) using quaternary onium salts or crown ether complexes as catalysts. The polyaddition of DCNS with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was enhanced efficiently by the addition of tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC), tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB), or tetrabutylphosphonium chloride (TBPC) as catalysts. It was also found that the reaction proceeded smoothly in amide-type polar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to give a high molecular weight polyether P-1. The polyaddition of DCNS with diglycidyl ether of ethylene glycol (DGEEG) using TBAB in DMAc also proceeded to give the polyether P-2 in good yield. The resulting polyethers contain reactive chloromethyl groups in a side chain, which was introduced during main chain formation.