Cationic polymerization is a chain-growth reaction mechanism initiated by electrophiles involving carbonium ions within the domain of organic chemistry and materials science. The theoretical framework dictates that initiation requires a Lewis acid catalyst reacting with an electron-donating co-catalyst to generate a protonated species, followed by propagation where successive monomer addition maintains a positive charge on the growing chain terminal group. Termination occurs through specific pathways such as ion-pair precipitation or direct coupling between the carbocation and counterion, fundamentally governed by electronic stability provided by substituents like phenyl or methyl groups.
Cationic polymerization is a chain-growth reaction mechanism initiated by electrophiles involving carbonium ions within the domain of organic chemistry and materials science. The theoretical framewor…