Polymer synthesis based on 2-(hydroxyphenyl)-2-oxazolines

2-(Hydroxyphenyl)-2oxazolines(p- and n-isomers 1a and 1b ) were used for the synthesis of various polymers. Cationic polymerization of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline initiated with the N-methyl 2 -oxazolinium species 3 , Derived from 1 , Gave telechelic poly(N-acetylethylenimine) ( 5 ) having a hydroxyl group of different reactivity at both ends. Anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide induced by the lithium salt of 1, 7 , produced a poly(ethylene oxide) macromer, 9 , having a ringopening polymerizable 2-oxazoline group. The copolymer from 9 and 2-phenyl-2oxazoline, 10 , has been shown to have good properties as a nonionic polymeric surfactant in which the N-benzoylethylenimine main-chain behaves as a lipophilic group whereas the oxyethylene graftchains act as a hydrophilic group. Di-salt 11 derived from 1 was polymerized to give polymide 13 (“amphi-ionic polymerization”).