Design of recyclable oligo(ethylene glycol)-ketone RAFT copolymers for in situ dioxirane-mediated epoxidation: structure-activity insights.

Tailor-made OEG-ketone copolymers were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and evaluated as catalysts for the epoxidation of several alkenes under mild conditions. The study highlights the influence of the copolymer composition on dioxirane intermediate formation and on the overall efficiency of the process. The incorporation of oligo(ethylene glycol) side chains promotes efficient extraction and isolation of the epoxide while enabling ketone recycling through RAFT polymerization.