Ketoprofen as a photoinitiator for anionic polymerization.

A new photoinitiating system for anionic polymerization of acrylates based on the efficient photodecarboxylation of Ketoprofen (1) and the related derivatives 3 and 4 that generate the corresponding carbanion intermediates is presented. Carbanion intermediates are confirmed by deuterium incorporation in the trapped Michael adducts and by spectroscopic detection using laser flash photolysis (LFP). This novel anionic initiating system features excitation in the near UV and visible regions, potential characteristics of photocontrolled living polymerization, and metal-free photoinitiators generated from photoexcitation, different from typical anionic polymerization where the polymerizations are initiated by heat and strong base containing alkali metals.