| Abstract: | Diethylzinc/water system was studied using infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vapor phase chromatography. The main reactions of diethylzinc with water are considered to be as follows:  Relative LEWIS acidity for ether is found to be in the order:  Initiators for the polymerization of propylene oxide by diethylzinc/water system are found to be Et(ZnO)nZnEt, Et(ZnO)nH, or HO(ZnO)nH, which have disordered wurtzite structures concerning zinc-oxygen bond. On the hydrolysis of the polymerization system, 2-methyl-l-butanol, 2-pentanol, and propylene glycol are found as initial products. The main reaction of the polymerization of propylene oxide catalyzed by diethylzinc/water system was discussed in terms of the coordinate ionic mechanism. |
