The Oxidative Polymerization of 2,6-Xylenol in the Solvents Mixed with Pyridine

The catalytic activity of the copper-pyridine complex on the polymerization of 2, 6-xylenol was studied in various solvents which were classified into two groups from the results in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. One is composed of pyridine and an amphiprotic solvent, and the other pyridine and an aprotic solvent. In the former, the minimum catalytic activity appears at the intermediate composition, and this seems to be due to the change on the complex composition. From the kinetic data it is suggested that the rate-determining step of the polymerization is the electron-transfer (k_e) or the dissociation of the activated substrate (k_d). In benzene the high catalytic activity of Cu-Py is due to the effect of the activation entropy.