The boron-catalyzed polymerization of dimethylsulfoxonium methylide (1) has been used
to prepare telechelic polymethylene polymers. The functional polymers were synthesized by hydroboration
of substituted α-olefins. Functional groups including biotin, carbohydrates, primary and secondary amines,
and dansyl and pyrene fluorescent groups were tolerant to the reaction conditions. The living
polymerization of ylide 1 was initiated and catalyzed by the organoborane. Oxidation of the resulting
tris(polymethylene) organoborane produced ω-hydroxy-terminated polymethylenes. The reactions were
used to produce α,ω-polymethylenes with molecular weights in the range of 1000−17 000 with
polydispersities < 1.1.