Abstract

Towards [60]fullerene-tethered poly(vinyl alcohol)

Author(s): Saad Moulay, Ouzena Goucem

Study of the tosylation of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) using p-toluenesul fonylchloride (TsCl) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH) inDMF/amine,was undertaken. The degree of tosylation and the course of the reactions did not differ from one tosylating reagent to another. Moderate to quantitative degrees of tosylation were obtained under certain conditions. Surprisingly, the system TsCl/DMF/amine was found to promote a partial oxidation of PVA. Viscometric study and spectral analyses revealed a degradation of the starting material, resulting from chains scission and formation of unsaturations. The dissolving temperatures of the modified PVA in water, DMF, andDMSO varied with the degree of substitution, and in some cases, they decreased even to room temperature. The azidation of tosylated PVA occurred with a concomitant elimination. The fullerenation of azided PVA was low and yielded a modified PVAwith good solubility.