Synthesis of poly(1,4-naphthylene) bearing crown ether side chain by asymmetric oxidative coupling polymerization

The oxidative coupling polymerization of racemic-, (R)-, and (S)-2,2′,3,3′-tetrahydroxy-1,1′-binaphthyl derivatives bearing a crown ether moiety was carried out in the presence of a Cu(I) or Cu(II) catalyst with various ligands, such as N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine, (S)-(+)-1-(2-pyrrolidinylmethyl)pyrrolidine, (−)-sparteine [(−)Sp], and (S)-(−)-2,2′-isopropylidenebis(4-phenyl-2-oxazoline). Methanol-insoluble poly(binaphthyl crown ether) with a molecular weight up to Mn=4.1×103 was synthesized in moderate yields. Polymerization using (−)Sp proceeded in an S-selective manner; the polymer with the highest negative specific rotation was obtained with the (S)-monomer. The obtained polymers exhibited characteristic abilities for chiral recognition toward amino acids, such as 2-phenylglycine hydrochloride and 2-phenylglycine methyl ester hydrochloride.