Functional end groups in polytetrahydrofuran

Abstract

Polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) is a very widespread polymer, which is used in numerous applications. Very frequently, its functional end groups play a key role, in that they are exploited to perform further reactions. However, only limited work is available to date on the preparation of functionalized PTHF, mostly using hazardous compounds. Here, an easy and convenient one-pot procedure is described to prepare iodo-, azido-, and amino-terminated PTHF with minimal use of hazardous chemicals. This is thought to be the first example of iodo- and azido-terminated PTHF. Additionally, a novel alternative method to obtain bromo- and cyano-terminated PTHF is reported. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.