Metalation and functionalization of polymers and copolymers

Abstract

There is provided a method of introducing functionality into a copolymer of an isoolefin and an alkylstyrene at the alkylbenzyl carbon atom comprising the steps of: forming a solution of said copolymer in a hydrocarbon solvent; adding to said polymer solution an alkali metal Cs, K, Na alkoxide and an alkyl lithium compound to form a superbase with the polymer solution; and adding an electrophile to said base polymer solution also provided are the metalated copolymers and the functionalized derivative therefrom.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.