2-Ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOx) is an oxazoline which is used particularly as a monomer for the cationic ring-opening polymerization to poly(2-alkyloxazoline)s. This type of polymers are under investigation as readily water-soluble and biocompatible materials for biomedical applications.
Carboxylic acids, carboxylic esters, carboxylic amides and nitriles can react with 2-amino alcohols at 200 °C upon dehydration to the corresponding N-(2-hydroxy)carbamide, which react further at 260–280 °C upon dehydration to the 2-alkyl-2-oxazoline.
For example N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide is first formed from propionic acid and ethanolamine in 74% yield which can be dehydrated to give 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline in about 75% yield.
Less drastic reaction conditions require the dehydration of the N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide in vacuo in the presence of iron(III)chloride, which delivers the product in 90% yield.[1] An even higher yield of 96.2% is obtained by heating with zinc acetate.[2]
An economic one-pot reaction is heating the salt of propionic acid with ethanolamine at 200 °C in vacuo in the presence of zinc chloride yielding 82% 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline. From the water-containing distillate pure 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline can be isolated by extraction with diethylbenzene and subsequent distillation or by distillation only after addition of diethyl phosphite or dimethyldichlorosilane. The product can be dried to a residual water content of 10 ppm.[3]
In another one-pot reaction propionic acid is converted first with 2-aminoethanol to 2-hydroxyethylamide, than reacted with boric acid at 130 °C yielding a boric acid ester which is finally thermolyzed at 280 °C in 92% yield to 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline.
From propionic acid and thionyl chloride can be obtained propanoyl chloride, which reacts with ethanolamine in the presence of an acid scavenger (for example pyridine) to N-propionyl-2-aminoethanol. With further thionyl chloride this reacts further to 2-chloroethylamide. With the chloride ion as a better leaving group, this intermediate is cyclized by simple heating to the oxazoline. Water must be excluded due to the tendency of oxazolines towards ring-opening by chloride ions during protonation of the imine nitrogen.
The direct reaction of propanoyl chloride with 2-chloroethylamine hydrochloride in the presence of triethylamine avoids the formation of water.
Propanal reacts with 2-aminoethanol in t-butanol to 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline in the presence of the iodinating reagent 1,3-diiodo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DIH) and potassium carbonate.
2-Ethyl-2-oxazoline is a readily water-soluble, colorless liquid which is also soluble in a variety of organic solvents and possesses an amine-like smell. Aqueous solutions react alkaline. The compound is stable in alkaline but hydrolyses under acid action.
In anhydrous form, 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline is mostly used as a monomer.
The cationic ring-opening polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline can be initiated by alkylation with e.g. methyl tosylate or triflates (in particular methyl triflate) and leads to the water-soluble poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) which is a propionyl-substituted linear polyethylenimine and can also be seen as a pseudo-polypeptide.
The polymerization of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline can also be carried out as living cationic polymerization.[4]
Copolymers with other 2-alkyl-2-oxazolines[5] and other monomers[6] allow the preparation of random copolymers and block copolymers.
The copolymers obtained can be used as biocompatible drug carriers,[7] in coatings and adhesives, and in many other applications.[8]
The elimination of the propionyl group from poly (2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) yields linear polyethyleneimine.[9] [10]