Abstract
1,1,4,4-Tetraphenyl-1,4-dilithiobutane (TPDLi) was prepared, by using high vacuum techniques, from 1,1-diphenylethylene and lithium metal, in tetrahydrofuran (THF)/ benzene (4/1 by vol.) mixture, at room temperature and at 0°C. The quality of the difunctional initiator (DFI) was evaluated by polymerizing styrene and by characterizing the neutralized by (methanol) DFI, GC/MS and NMR spectroscopy. The TPDLi prepared at 0°C is almost 100% difunctional whereas the TPDLi prepared at room temperature is contaminated by the monofunctional species LiCPh2CH2CH2CPh2(CH 2CH2CH2CH2OLi) (∼ 30%), produced from the reaction of one of its active centers with THF.