Sequential three-component polyaddition has been difficult, because the first addition typically consumes the two reactive monomers to produce a stable intermediate that cannot react smoothly with the remaining most stable monomer. The combination of nucleophilic and radical additions has overcome this thermodynamic problem. The first nucleophilic addition of diamines to cyclic dithiocarbonates produces bis(mercaptothiourethane)s that can attack diethynylbenzene radically, which consequently gives poly(thiourethane-phenylenevinylenesulfide)s in high atom efficiency up to 95%. The resulting polymer extracted palladium and gold cations from their aqueous solutions in excellent efficiencies.

This article describes the polyaddition of bifunctional five‐membered cyclic carbonates and diethylenetriamine. The polyaddition proceeded via the selective addition of the primary amino group to the cyclic carbonates to give poly(hydroxyurethane)s bearing a secondary amine structure in the main chain. The resulting poly (hydroxyurethane) having a secondary amine structure was crosslinked by a reaction with a bifunctional dithiocarbonate to give a networked poly(hydroxyurethane–mercaptothiourethane). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5899–5905, 2005