Attempts to Optimizing the Synthesis of Hypercrosslinked Polystyrene. Reactions with in situ Formed Monochlorodimethyl Ether

The study is focused on the development of a “one-pot” procedure for preparing hypercrosslinked polystyrene sorbents. The method is based on in situ formation of monochlorodimethyl ether (MCDE) via the reaction of methylal with chloroanhydrides of organic and inorganic acids, while ensuring that chloroanhydride is used in quantities sufficient for both the obtaining of MCDE and complete scavenging of methanol at the moment of its formation during the subsequent reaction of the ether with polystyrene. CH 3 COCl, (COCl) 2 , SO 2 Cl 2 and POCl 3 exemplify the chloroanhydrides. FeCl 3 served as the catalyst. All above chloroanhydrides are consumed exhaustively; they do not act as crosslinking agents and do not introduce any functional groups. Specific inner surface area, methanol and water uptake and adsorption of organic substances from aqueous solutions onto obtained hypercrosslinked polystyrenes do not differ from those characteristic of sorbents prepared by a direct crosslinking polystyrene with MCDE.