Hydroboration Polymerization

This paper describes “Hydroboration Polymerization” as a novel methodology for the preparation of organoboron polymers. A polyaddition between diene and thexylborane produced a polymer consisting of C-B bonds in the main chain. The resulting organoboron polymers can be regarded as a polymer homologue of trialkylborane and can be expected as a novel type of reactive polymers. On the other hand, hydroboration polymerization of diene with monobromoborane produced poly(organoboron halide)s as a polymeric Lewis acid. Furthermore, hydroboration polymerization of dicyano compounds such as isophthalonitrile with t-butylborane produced an air-stable boroncontaining polymer (polycyclodiborazane) having B-N four-membered rings via dimerization of iminoborane species.