Kinetics of 1,3‐cyclohexadiene polymerization initiated by organolithium compounds in a non‐polar medium, 1. Pure propagation step

The kinetics of propagation of the anionic polymerization of 1,3‐cyclohexadiene initiated by organolithium compounds in cyclohexane is reported. At low monomer concentrations secondary reactions are avoided. The propagation follows a half‐order kinetics with respect to living‐chain concentration, suggesting an association of two of these chains. The apparent rate constant is found to be 6,9 · 10 −4 L 1/2 · mol 1/2 · s −1 at 20°C with an apparent activation energy of 16,6 kcal/mol (69,5 kJ/mol).