Stereoselective Helix-Sense-Selective Cationic Polymerization of N-Vinylcarbazole Using Chiral Lewis Acid Catalysis

Helical polymers with a defined main-chain atropoisomeric conformation are important materials in high value applications such as nonlinear optics and chiral separations. Currently, no methods exist for the cationic helix-sense-selective polymerization of prochiral vinyl monomers, which limits access to a number of potentially valuable optically active helical polymers. Here, we demonstrate the first stereoselective cationic helix-sense-selective polymerization of a prochiral vinyl monomer, which provides access to optically active helices of poly(N-vinylcarbazole). Chiral bis(oxazoline)-scandium Lewis acids serve as chiral counterions to polymerize N-vinylcarbazole into highly isotactic (up to 94% meso triads) polymers. Mechanistic investigations uncovered the distinct phenomenon that are responsible for independent control of conformational (i.e., helicity) and configurational (i.e., tacticity) stereochemistry. Polymer helicity was strongly influenced by the stereoselectivity of the first monomer propagation, whereas polymer tacticity was dictated by the thermodynamically controlled conformation of the growing polymer chain end. Overall, this method expands the suite of accessible helical polymers through helix-sense-selective polymerization and provides mechanistic insight into how polymer tacticity and helicity can be controlled independently.