Abstract
Polymerizations of butadiene, penta‐1,3‐diene, and isoprene with n‐butyl titanate–triethylaluminum catalyst are examined by ESR measurements on the polymerization state. At Al/Ti molar ratios greater than 2.9 where the conjugated dienes are polymerized, the polymerization system of butadiene always gives an ESR signal with a g value of 1.983 and with a hyperfine structure of about 19 components. This signal does not appear at all, even in the presence of the monomer, at Al/Ti molar ratios smaller than two where butadiene is not polymerized. The absorption intensity of the signal coincides fairly well with the concentration of polymer chain calculated from polymer yield and the molecular weight. On the basis of these facts, the signal is assigned to the growing end of polybutadiene with this catalyst. The structure of the growing end is proposed to have both two substituted π‐allyl groups and an alkoxy group in coordination to titanium (III), by analysis of the hyperfine structure. The polymerization system of penta‐1,3‐diene and that of isoprene respectively, give a new signal with a g value of 1.983, although the signal for the former monomer has a hyperfine structure of 11 components and that for the latter monomer has no hyperfine structure. A structure for the growing end in the polymerization of each of these two monomers analogous to that of the growing end of polybutadiene is proposed.