Palladium-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of carbon monoxide with olefins bearing carbamate and amide functionalities

The copolymerization of carbon monoxide with different olefins bearing carbamate and amide functionalities was effected using [Pd(CH3CN)(4)](BF4)(2) as the catalyst and (R,R)-Me-DUPHOS (2:1 (v/v) MeNO2-MeOH or CH2Cl2 as the solvent). The products constitute a new class of functionalized copolymers, and were found to be optically active with a mixture of 1,4-ketone and spiroketal repeating units in the backbone. The influence of different parameters on the copolymerization of methyl N-(3-butenyl)carbamate with carbon monoxide was examined.