Synthesis and characterization of new optically active and organosoluble copoly amides containing phthalimide rings as a pendent group

A series of new optically active and organosoluble copoly aimides 10a-f were synthesized through the direct polycondensation reaction of N-phthalimido-L-aspartic acid 4 with 4,4'-diamino diphenyl ether 8, 4,4'-diamino diphenyl sulfone 9 in the presence of adipic acid 5, fumaric acid 6 and terephthalic acid 7 as a second diacid in a medium consisting of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, triphenyl phosphite, calcium chloride and pyridine. Phthalimide rings as a bulky pendent group in the polymer chains disturb inter-and intrachain interactions and make these PAs readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents such as N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and solvents such as sulfuric acid. The resulted polymers were fully characterized by means of FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analyses, inherent viscosity, solubility tests and UV-vis spectroscopy. Thermal properties of the CoPAs 10d-f were investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). (C) 2010 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.