This paper is dedicated to late Prof. Yoshihiko Ito for his great enthusiasm and contribution to synthetic organic chemistry.Abstract: Studies on the synthesis, helical structure, switchable screw sense induction, catalytic function, and chiroptical properties of poly(quinoxaline 2,3 diyl)s since late 1980 s are described.1141 benzenes. Although there are some other options currently, in the typical procedure, the 3,6 substituted 1,2 phenylenediamines are treated with acetic formic anhydride to obtain the corresponding diformamides, which are subsequently dehydrated by phosgene dimer or POCl 3 in the presence of base, giving substituted 1,2 isocyanobenzanes in moderate to good yields (Scheme 2). 10 The obtained 3,6 substituted 1,2 diisocyanobenzenes are puri ed by column chromatography on silica gel and used in polymerization.Initial attempts at polymerization of those 1,2 diisocyanobenzenes are examined by using nucleophilic organometallic initiators. Reaction of 1,2 diisocyano 3,4,5,6 tetramethylbenzene (M1) in the presence of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl Grignard reagents (33 50 mol%) afforded quinoxaline dimer to hexamer in moderate yields (25 34% total isolated yields) (Scheme 3).
11This report was followed by the report on living polymerization of 1,2 diisocyanobenzene using an organopalladium complex as an initiator. 12 1,2 Diisocyanobenzene M1 was oligomerized with monomer/initiator ratios of 2, 3, 5, and 7 at re ux temperature in THF (Scheme 4). After oligomerization, the living palladium center was still at one of the two polymer terminus, being con rmed by isolation and single crystal X ray analysis of a terquinoxalinylpalladium complex. The living oligomers were quenched by Grignard reagents before isolation of the oligomers bearing an organic group derived from the Grignard reagent at the terminus. The degree of oligomerization was dependent on the monomer/initiator ratio with formation of up to octamer in good total yields. Application of this protocol to polymerization of 1,2 diisocyano 3,6 di(trimethylsilylmethyl)benzene (M2) afforded PQX with high molecular weight (M n 4830, vapor pressure osmometry (VPO)) with remarkably small PDI (polydispersity index, 1.08).In addition to the organopalladium complexes, it was also found that organonickel complexes served as highly active initiator in the polymerization of 1,2 diisocyanobenzenes (Scheme 5).13 Isolated 3 arylquinoxalin 2 ylnickel complex was used in the polymerization of 7 and 15 equivalents of M2, giving PQX in high yields with narrow PDI after quenching by Grignard reagents. It should be noted here that direct use of simple arylnickel(II) complex was not attempted in this report. Furthermore, use of Ni(acac) 2 , which is effective in the polymerization of monoisocyanides, was reported to form tarry material. More recently, it has been revealed that simpler nickel compounds including Ni(acac) 2 and NiCl 2 also give PQXs efciently albeit with large PDI (Scheme 6). 14 1,2 Diisocyanobenzene monomers bearing alkoxymethyl side chains was ...