Design and synthesis of macroporous polymeric separation media based on substituted phenols

The suspension copolymerization of several t-butoxycarbonyl (t-BOC) protected 4-vinyl phenols with divinylbenzene has been studied to produce high porosity 10 μm bead materials with surface areas of 200–300 m2/g for use as separation media. The choice and amount of porogen is critical for the control of porosity and surface area while particle size and size distribution is controlled by other reaction variables. The t-BOC protecting groups of the polymers are easily removed by thermolysis and the deprotected beads are useful in the separation of amines. The relationship between polymer structure and separation ability in h.p.l.c. has been explored and the effect of alkyl substituents located ortho to the phenolic groups is discussed.