ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 35, Number 6
JKCSEZ 35(6)
December 20, 1991 

The cationic polymerization of substituted oxethanes which have pendant energetic groups such as methoxy, azido, and nitrato are investigated theoretically using the semiempirical MINDO/3, MNDO, and AM1 methods. The nucleophilicity and basicity of substituted oxethanes can be explained by the negative charge on oxygen atom of oxetanes. The reactivity of propagation in the polymerization of oxetanes can be represented by the positive charge on carbon atom and the low LUMO energy of active species of oxetanes. The reaction of the energetic cyclic oxonium ion forms to the open chain carbenium ion forms is expected by computational stability energy of the oxonium and carbenium ion (about 10~20 kcal/mole) favoring the carbenium ion. The relative equilibrium concentration of cyclic oxonium and open carbenium ions is found to be a major determinant of mechanism, owing to the rapid equilibrium of these cation forms and the expectation based on clauclation the the prepolymer propagation step SN1 mechanism will be at least as fast as that for SN2 mechanism.