A novel approach to inducing aqueous base solubility in substituted styrene-sulfone polymers

A new terpolymer, poly[(tert-butoxycarbonyloxy)styrene-acetoxystyrene-sulfone], is synthesized and spectroscopic evidence for the chemical reactions this polymer is capable of undergoing is provided. The (tert-butoxycarbonyloxy)styrene undergoes acidolysis of the tert-butoxycarbonyl moiety in the solid state in the presence of a strong acid. If this acid is generated by exposure to UV light, this reaction can form the basis for imaging this polymer. The acetoxy group can be cleaved from the acetoxystyrene monomer in aqueous base solution only when sulfone is incorporated into the copolymer in the appropriate amounts. After cleavage by base the resulting polymer is soluble in the base solution only if the tert-butoxycarbonyl group has been removed by acid