Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Observation Of Eliminative Cationic Polymerization Within Van Der Waals Clusters, M. Samy El-Shall, K. E. Schriver

Chemistry Publications

We report the first observation of eliminative cationic polymerization within van der Waals (vdW) clusters following electron impact ionization at pressures of 10⁻⁸ Torr. The elimination reactions of C₂H₃Cl⁺ within the clusters terminate after three successive steps, each involving elimination of HCl or Cl. The results provide a mechanism for the early stages of gas phase cationic polymerization of vinyl chloride and demonstrate the feasibility of using vdW clusters as a means of studying gas phase cationic polymerization.