NAPHTHALENE CHEMISTRY - 1. STUDIES ON THE METALLATION OF NAPHTHALENE AND THE beta -ETHYL-NAPHTHALENE BY POTASSIUM IN THF AND ITS APPLICATION AS A DIFUNCTIONAL ANIONIC INITIATOR FOR ETHYLENE OXIDE.

This paper reports on the metallation of naphthalene by potassium in the range of the concentration varying from 4. 5. 10** minus **3 to 1. 1. 10** minus **1 mol l** minus **1. The authors have also studied the metallation of the beta -substituted naphthalene: beta -ethylnaphthalene (BEN) in the range of concentration 1. 5. l0**124 minus **2 to 1. 6. 10** minus **1 mol l** minus **1. The anionic species was examined as an initiator for ethylene oxide (ED) in THF at room temperature. It is shown that the stability of the potassium dianion in the naphthalene is very high compared to equivalent lithium. The model compound EN reacts similarly, but the final dianion isomerized to another, which is still able to quantitatively polymerized ethyleneoxide. The polymerization mechanism is shown to be living and produces two poly-ether chains per naphthalene unit with very low polydispersity.