Syntheses and Reactions of Functional Polymers. LIV. Syntheses and Polymerizations of O-Substituted-N-hydroxymaleimides

Abstract The reverse Diels-Alder reaction of N-substituted maleimide adducts of furan is a useful method for the preparation of N-substituted maleimides which can not be obtained by the direct dehydration of maleamic acids owing to the formation of the corresponding isomaleimides. O-Benzyl, O-acetyl, O-benzoyl, O-benzenesulfonyl, and O-methyl-N-hydroxymaleimide adducts of furan decompose at 140–190°C to produce the corresponding maleimides. The homo- and co-polymerization with styrene of these maleimides were carried out and monomer reactivity ratios and Q-e values for these maleimides were determined. The copolymer obtained were converted to the copolymer of N-hydroxymaleimide and styrene.