Mono- and di-cyclocarbonate telechelic polyolefins synthesized from ROMP using glycerol carbonate derivatives as chain-transfer agents

The ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclooctene (COE) has been achieved with Grubbs 2nd generation ruthenium catalyst in the presence of vinyl or acryloyl derivatives of glycerol carbonate. Such asymmetric chain-transfer agents enabled the synthesis in high yields of alpha-cyclocarbonate,omega-vinyl-poly(cyclooctene) (PCOE) and, more rewardingly, of the highly valuable alpha,omega-dicyclocarbonate telechelic PCOE.