A tetracoordinate rhodium complex, Rh(C⋮CC6H5)(nbd)[P(C6H5)3] (nbd = 2,5-norbornadiene),
combined with 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) is an excellent initiator for the stereospecific living
polymerization of phenylacetylene and its m- and p-substituted derivatives. The rhodium initiator can be
generated efficiently by dissociation of triphenylphosphine from isolable Rh(C⋮CC6H5)(nbd)[P(C6H5)3]2 or
by reacting Rh(CH3)(nbd)[P(C6H5)3]2 or [Rh(OCH3)(nbd)]2/P(C6H5)3 with one equivalent of phenylacetylene.
The use of a phenylethynyl group, triphenylphosphine, and NBD ligand attached to the rhodium center is
crucial for the well-controlled polymerization of phenylacetylenes. An additive, DMAP, is necessary to attain
low polydispersities of the polymer products. An active rhodium(I) complex bearing a growing polymer chain,
NBD, and P(C6H5)3 was isolated from a reaction mixture and was characterized by NMR, GC−MS, XPS, and
elemental analyses. The isolated active polymer initiates the further polymerization of the same monomer or
substituted ones with an almost 100% initiation efficiency to give higher molecular weight homopolymers or
block copolymers, respectively. Detailed NMR structural analysis of the products indicated that the
polymerization with the rhodium(I) complexes proceeds via a 2,1-insertion mechanism to provide stereoregular
poly(phenylacetylene)s with cis−transoidal backbone structure.