Seishi Machida

Spontaneous Polymerization of Maleic Anhydride by Imidazole Derivatives. I

Abstract Maleic anhydride was spontaneously polymerized and decar-boxylated by imidazole derivatives. The polymerization was found to occur through formation of a charge-transfer complex, although its exact role in the mechanism is uncertain. When 1-vinyl-2-methylimidazole was used, the vinyl group did not participate in the polymerization. By fractionating the polymer by gel filtration, a polymer containing no imidazole group was separated. Both homopolymer and copolymer of the vinylimidazole also caused maleic anhydride to polymerize. The chemical structure of the polymer was investigated.