Concentration effects in the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline in <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>‐dimethylacetamide

Abstract The monomer concentration for the cationic ring‐opening polymerization of 2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline in N , N ‐dimethylacetamide was optimized utilizing high‐throughput experimentation methods. Detailed 1 H‐NMR spectroscopic investigations were performed to understand the mechanistic aspects of the observed concentration effects. Finally, the improved polymerization concentration was applied for the synthesis of higher molecular weight (&gt; 10,000 Da) poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline)s. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 1487–1497, 2005