Sumários

1st MAP45 Assessment

13 março 2025, 14:00 Pedro Gomes

1st MAP45 Assessment 


Exercises and doubts about Coordination Polymerization and Chemical Reactions in Polymers. Preparation to the first MAP45.

12 março 2025, 09:00 Pedro Gomes

Solving exercises no. 1 to 7 of the PDF entitled "Coordination Polymerization + Chemical Reactions in Polymers"

Doubts: preparation to the first MAP45.


Exercises and doubts about Controlled Radical Polymerization, Anionic Polymerization and Cationic Polymerization. Preparation to the first MAP45.

11 março 2025, 12:00 Pedro Gomes

Solving exercises no. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the PDF entitled "Controlled Radical Polymerization + Anionic Polymerization + Cationic Polymerization"

Doubts: preparation to the first MAP45.


Chemical Reactions in Polymers. Natural Polymers.

6 março 2025, 14:00 Pedro Gomes

Chemical Reactions in Polymers:

Functional group reactions.

Ring formation reactions (in the polymer backbone).

Crosslinking reactions.

Block and graft copolymer formation.

Polymer degradation.


Natural Polymers:

Polysaccharides of vegetal origin (cases): Cellulose, Amylose and Amylopectin. Polysaccharides of animal origin (cases): Chitin, Chitosan and Glycogen.

Modifications of cellulose (cases): Cellulose xanthate (viscose rayon textile fibres); Cellulose acetate (rayon acetate textile fibres); Cellulose nitrate (plastics, lacquers, explosives); Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (emulsifiers, shampoo thickeners).

Natural Rubber: from Gutta Percha tree (thermoplastic - trans-1,4-isoprene), from Hevea Brasiliensis tree and Guayule bush (elastomer - cis-1,4-isoprene).

Polypetides (Proteins).

Nucleic Acids.


Quiz 7.


Chain-Growth Polymerization (cont.): Coordination Polymerization

5 março 2025, 09:00 Pedro Gomes

Coordination Polymerization:

- Polymerization of Olefins (insertion):

Monomers (olefins, dienes e cycloolefins). Commodity polyolefins (physical and production features of low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Ziegler-Natta catalysts: definition.

Homogeneous Ziegler-Natta catalysts: metallocenes;.

MAO (methylaluminoxane) cocatalysts. Role of the MAO cocatalyst.

General mechanism of Ziegler-Natta catalysis.

Ziegler-Natta stereospecific catalysts and ansa-metallocene catalysts.

Isospecific and syndiospecific ansa-metallocenes. 

General features of metallocenic polyolefins.

Copolymerization of olefins with ansa-metallocene catalysts.

Polymerization of Dienes (insertion):

1,4-cis-polybutadiene (synthetic rubber), 1,4-trans polybutadiene and 1,2-polybutadiene; 1,4-cis-polyisoprene (natural rubber and synthetic natural rubber) and 1,4-trans-polybutadiene. Stereospecific catalysts: 1) Ziegler-Natta e 2) Allyl complexes (without Al cocatalysts). Allyl Ni catalysts: influence of the addition of a phosphine. Stereoregulating mechanism.

Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP):

Reaction of ring-opening metathesis. Type of monomers (cycloolefins and cycloalkynes). Catalysts: 1) Ziegler-Natta catalysts and 2) well-defined catalysts (metal carbenes). ROMP mechanism. Examples of polymers and copolymers obtained from the ROMP polymerization of a single cyclomonomer.

Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP):

Monomers (epoxides, cyclic lactams, cyyclic lactone, cyclic dilactones, N-carboxyanhydrides, cyclic carbonates,  cyclic siloxanes). Catalysts (alkyl and alkoxide transition metal and main-group metal complexes). Synthesis of polyethers. Synthesis of polyamides and polyesters. Synthesis of streoregular poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Synthesis of polycarbonates, polypeptides and silicones.

Modes of initiation of most general monomers (summary): Free radical, Cationic, Anionic and Coordination.


Quiz 6.