Competitive Processes in Controlled Cationic Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Oxetane: a Lotka‐Volterra Predator‐Prey Model of Two Growing Species Competing for the same Resources

Summary : The activation‐deactivation pseudo‐equilibrium coefficient Q t and constant K 0 ( =Q t x P aT1,t  = ([A1]x[Ox])/([T1]x[T])) as well as the factor of activation ( P aT1,t ) and rate constants of elementary steps reactions that govern the increase of M n with conversion in controlled cationic ring‐opening polymerization of oxetane (Ox) in 1,4‐dioxane (1,4‐D) and in tetrahydropyran (THP) ( i.e. cyclic ethers which have no homopolymerizability (T)) were determined using terminal‐model kinetics. We show analytically that the dynamic behavior of the two growing species (A1 and T1) competing for the same resources (Ox and T) follows a Lotka‐Volterra model of predator‐prey interactions.