Synthesis and styrene copolymerization of novel difluoro and chlorofluoro ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates

Novel difluoro and chlorofluoro ring-disubstituted isobutyl phenylcyanoacrylates, RPhCH=C(CN)CO2CH2CH(CH3)2 (where R is 2,3-difluoro, 2,4-difluoro, 2,6-difluoro, 3,4-difluoro, 3,5-difluoro, 2-chloro-4-fluoro, 2-chloro-6-fluoro, 3-chloro-2-fluoro, 3-chloro-4-fluoro, 4-chloro-3-fluoro) were synthesized by the piperidine catalyzed Knoevenagel condensation of ring-disubstituted benzaldehydes and isobutyl cyanoacetate and characterized by CHN analysis, IR, 1H and 13C NMR. The acrylates were copolymerized with styrene in solution with radical initiation at 70C. The compositions of the copolymers were calculated from nitrogen analysis