Green synthesis of soluble polyphenol: Oxidative polymerization of phenol in water

Kei Saito, Gangyong Sun, Hiroyuki Nishide*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The simple stirring of phenol with an oxidant in water provided a novel green way to synthesize soluble polyphenol. The soluble polyphenol obtained had a high poly(phenylene oxide) unit ratio, poly(phenyleneoxide)/poly(phenylene)=ca. 80/20. Additionally, the insoluble fraction was identified as a poly(phenyleneoxide), which has a crosslinking point for every 5.5×103 molecular weight. These results suggest that oxidative polymerization in water can be run in a manner to control the coupling selectivity of phenol. Both the soluble polyphenol and the insoluble fraction showed a high thermal stability. Oxidative polymerization in water provides the potential for a formaldehyde-free and regioselected soluble poly(phenyleneoxide) from phenol.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)47-51
Number of pages5
JournalGreen Chemistry Letters and Reviews
Volume1
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Keywords

  • Oxidative polymerization
  • Phenol
  • Phenolic resin
  • Polyphenyleneoxide
  • Water solvent

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Environmental Chemistry

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