Preparation and functionalization of reactive monodisperse macroporous poly (chloromethylstyrene-co-styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads by a staged templated suspension polymerization

Reactive monodisperse porous poly(chloromethylstyrene-co-styrene-co-divinylbenzene) beads have been prepared by a staged templated suspension polymerization method with different concentrations of linear polystyrene porogen and chloromethylstyrene in the polymerization mixture. The presence of a small amount of linear polystyrene in the polymerization mixture leads to a dramatic increase in both the pore size and the pore volume of the resulting beads. In contrast, addition of chloromethylstyrene leads to lower surface areas and smoother surfaces due to the reduced compatibility between the polystyrene porogen and the newly formed crosslinked chains. The modification of chloromethylstyrene beads by Gabriel synthesis to obtain aminated beads has also been studied. The final number of primary amino groups is related to the starting concentration of functional benzyl chloride moieties rather than to the porous properties. Both π-basic and π-acidic type chiral selectors, (R)-1-(1-naphthyl)-ethylamine and (R)-N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)phenylglycine, respectively, have been attached to the amino functionalized beads, and the resulting chiral beads have been used in the model HPLC separations of enantiomers.