Radiation-induced polymerisation of 2,3-dihydrofuran: free-radical or cationic mechanism?

Concentrated (10 mol%) solutions of 2,3-dihydrofuran in CFCl2CF2Cl matrix were irradiated at 77 K and several intermediates (dimer radical cation, dihydrofuryl radical, and polymer radicals) were observed by low-temperature EPR spectroscopy. The irradiated solutions yielded after melting a polymeric product, which was characterised by IR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The polydisperse polymer is assumed to be formed mainly by a cationic process initiated by a dimer carbocation. The free-radical mechanism via the dihydrofuryl radical leads to low molecular weight oligomers only. Quantum chemical calculations support the interpretation of the experimental results