Rare-earth-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of carbon monoxide with styrene

Rare‐earth acetates were used to catalyze the copolymerization reaction of carbon monoxide and styrene. Cupric acetate, 1,10‐phenanthroline, p‐toluenesulfonic acid, and 1,4‐benzoquinone were also added to the catalyst system. The structures of the copolymers obtained were characterized with IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and elemental analysis methods. The relationship between the catalytic activity and the catalyst composition was studied in detail. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 642–649, 2002; DOI 10.1002/pola.10147 With different kinds of rare‐earth salts as catalysts, an alternating copolymer of carbon monoxide and styrene was obtained under various conditions, and the catalytic activity of neodymium acetate was comparatively higher. The structure of the styrene–carbon monoxide was investigated with IR spectra, 1H NMR, elemental analysis, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction.