Optically active polymers: Cyclopolymerization of the divinylacetal of (R) (+)‐3,7‐dimethyloctanal

The divinylacetal of (R)(+)‐3,7‐dimethyloctanal was polymerized by radical and cationic initiators. Radical initiation gave only viscous liquid polymers, while cationic systems gave solid products. Optical rotatory dispersions of these polymers fit simple Drude plots. The polymer prepared by boron trifluoride etherate exhibits negative optical rotations, while both the polymer obtained by azobisisobutyronitrile and the model compound show positive rotations. From these observations, it is suggested that the polymers might differ from each other in stereoregularity.