Keele Research Repository

This thesis is concerned with the synthesis of an isocyanide- functionalized polymer support and an investigation of the metal complexing properties of the resin produced.
The synthesis of two functionalized monomers, p-vinylbenzylformamide and m/p-vinylbenzylphthalimide is described. Each of these monomers was in turn copolymerized in water suspension with styrene and divinylbenzene, in an attempt to synthesize suitably functionalized highly crosslinked macroporous resins. The production of low crosslinked microporous (or gel-type) resins by the suspension copolymerization of the phthalimide monomer with styrene end divinylbenzene is also described. These microporous resins were then further chemically modified to yield the polymer-supported isocyanide.
The metal complexing properties of the polymer-supported isocyanide were studied. It was shown to extract a variety of normal oxidation state metals from aqueous tetrahydrofuran and anhydrous metal salts and organometallic complexes from tetrahydrofuran or toluene. The structures of the complexed spades are assigned on the basis of elemental analyses and infrared spectra.