The free-radical induced reaction between a tri-functional thiol (2-ethyl-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol trimercapto propionate) and two 1,2-disubstituted alkenes (methyl oleate and methyl elaidate) has been investigated under photochemical conditions. The photoreaction was monitored via time-resolved FUR, Raman and NMR spectroscopy to provide insights about the kinetics and efficiency in end-product formation. The information collected was subjected to numerical modelling using the GEPASI software using pre-established literature values for the rate coefficients in order to verify the proposed reaction scheme. The results confirm the thiol-ene reaction mechanism showing a very fast cis/trans-isomerization (<1.0 min) when compared with the total disappearance of unsaturations, indicating that the rate-limiting step controlling the reaction is the hydrogen transfer from the thiol involved in the formation of product. High thiol-ene conversions can be obtained at reasonable rates without major influence of side-reactions when performed in bulk indicating that this reaction is suitable for network forming purposes with mono-unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters derivatives. The kinetic and mechanistic information collected provides a basis for the design of new thiol-ene systems aiming at material and coating applications.

The increasing demand for bioderived polymers led us to investigate the potential use of the macrolactone globalide in thermoset synthesis via the photoinduced thiolene reaction. A series of six lipase-catalyzed poly(globalide-caprolactone) copolyesters bearing internal main-chain unsaturations ranging from 10 to 50 and 100 mol % were successfully crosslinked in the melt with equal amounts of thiol groups from trimethylolpropane-trimercapto propionate affording fully transparent amorphous elastomeric materials with different thermal and viscoelastic properties. Three major conclusions can be drawn from this study: (i) high thiol-ene conversions (> 80%) were easily attained for all cases, while maintaining the cure behavior, and irrespective of functionality at reasonable reaction rates; (ii) parallel chain-growth homopropagation of the ene monomer is insignificant when compared with the main thiolene coupling route; and (iii) high ene-density copolymers result in much lower extracted sol fractions and high T(g) values as a result of a more dense and homogeneous crosslinked network. The thiol-ene system evaluated in this contribution serve as model example for the sustainable use of naturally occurring 1,2-disubstituted alkenes in making semisynthetic polymeric materials in high conversions with a range of properties.

The free-radical photoinduced thiol-ene reaction between D-limonene, as renewable diolefinic substrate, and two mono-/tri-functional thiols (iso-tridecyl 3-mercaptopropionate and trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate)), has been investigated kinetically to define a relationship between alkene structure and reactivity. Separate thiol-ene solutions of the appropriate thiol in d-chloroform, supplemented with 1.0 wt% of DMPA (Irgacure 651), were subjected to polychromatic UV-irradiation and the chemical changes monitored discontinuously via H-1 NMR spectroscopy to quantify double bond conversion. The kinetic concentration profiles were modeled analytically and simulated in the application software COPASI for parameter estimation and to verify if the experimental data explained a suggested mechanistic scheme. Empirical results demonstrate that the external vinylidene bond of limonene reacts about 6.5 times faster with thiol than the internal trisubstituted 1-methyl-cyclohexene unsaturation. The selectivity observed for the two unsaturations was successfully explained by means of a simplified steady-state equation derived from the sequential reaction mechanism accounting for propagation and chain-transfer elementary steps with estimated rate coefficients. Kinetic modeling results attribute the difference in selectivity partially to steric impediments controlling thiyl-radical insertion onto the double bonds and predominantly to differences in relative energy between the two tertiary insertion carbon radical intermediates. The rate-limiting step was identified as the third chain-transfer hydrogen-abstraction reaction promoted by the second insertion carbon radical intermediate. High thiol-ene conversions were obtained in a timely fashion without major influence of secondary reactions demonstrating the suitability of this reaction for network forming purposes. The mechanistic and kinetic information collected can be used as a quantitative predictive tool to assess the potential use of D-limonene in thiol-ene network forming systems involving multifunctional alkyl ester 3-mercaptopropionates.