Competing and simultaneous click reactions at the interface and in solution

The kinetics of two simultaneous “click” reactions (thiol–maleimide addition and thiol–disulfide exchange) were investigated by NMR spectroscopy in homogeneous solution and at the oil/water interface of an inverse miniemulsion. For the polyaddition/-condensation of difunctional reagents it was found that the thiol–disulfide exchange is faster than the thiol–maleimide reaction. The addition of a basic catalyst influences the copolymerization behavior of the competitive “click” reactions.