Polyvinyl ethers are a class of

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

s derived from

vinyl ether Vinyl ether may refer to: * Any enol ether * Divinyl ether Divinyl ether is the organic compound with the formula O(CH=CH2)2. It is a colorless, volatile liquid that has mainly been of interest as an inhalation anesthetic. It is prepared by ...

s. Common monomers include

methyl vinyl ether Methyl vinyl ether is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3OCH=CH2. A colorless gas, it is the simplest enol ether. It is used as a synthetic building block, as is the related compound ethyl vinyl ether (a liquid at room temperature). ...

and

ethyl vinyl ether Ethyl vinyl ether is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OCH=CH2. It is the simplest enol ether that is liquid at room temperature. It is used as a synthetic building block and a monomer. Preparation and reactions Ethyl vinyl e ...

, the polymer having the formula H₂CH(OR)sub>n (R = methyl, ethyl). Commercial interest has also focused on polymers derived from ethyl, isobutyl, octadecyl substituents in place of methyl. Like other vinyl polymers, the polymers exhibit

tacticity Tacticity (from el, τακτικός, taktikos, "relating to arrangement or order") is the relative stereochemistry of adjacent chiral centers within a macromolecule. The practical significance of tacticity rests on the effects on the physical p ...

. Polymerization is typically initiated with

Lewis acid A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any sp ...

s such as

boron trifluoride Boron trifluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula BF3. This pungent, colourless, and toxic gas forms white fumes in moist air. It is a useful Lewis acid and a versatile building block for other boron compounds. Structure and bondin ...

.{{Ullmann, title=Poly(Vinyl Ethers), authors=Gerd Schröder, year=2012, doi=10.1002/14356007.a22_011

References

Organic polymers