Synthesis of wholly aromatic polysulfonamides from aromatic disulfonyl chlorides and aromatic diamines

Wholly aromatic polysulfonamides of high molecular weight were prepared by the solution poly‐condensation of aromatic disulfonyl chlorides with aromatic diamines in tetramethylene sulfone and substituted pyridines as the acid acceptor. Polysulfonamides with inherent viscosities as high as 1.2 were readily obtained by initiating polycondensation at a temperature of 5–10°C to control the side reactions. The polycondensation was fairly fast and was completed in 10 min at 60°C. All the aromatic polysulfonamides dissolved in a wide range of solvents, including acetone and tetrahydrofuran. These polymers were less thermally stable than the corresponding aromatic polyamides.