Cobalt(III)-catalyzed cycloaddition polymerization of diynes with nitriles: Synthesis of polymers containing pyridine moieties in the main chain

The synthesis of pyridine-containing polymers was carried out by the cycloaddition of diynes with nitriles in the presence of organocobalt complexes as catalysts. As a model experiment, the pyridine-formation reaction of monofunctional acetylenes with nitriles was reexamined in detail in the presence of organocobalt catalysts, from which the combination of terminal aliphatic acetylenes and aromatic nitriles was proved to be suitable for the specific pyridine-formation process. On the basis of this result, the polymerization of terminal aliphatic diynes with aromatic nitriles was carried out in the presence of the cobalt catalyst (10 mol %) to give polymers containing substituted pyridine moieties in the main chain in high yields.