The Present State and Prospects for the Development of the Field of Polycondensation

The aim of the review is to survey and examine data obtained in recent years and characterising the progress in the field of the synthesis of polymers by polycondensation methods. The rule of functionality is shown to have limited applicability and a new formulation, taking into account the structure of the monomers and the reaction conditions, is proposed. It is also shown that the rule of the non-equivalence of the functional groups does not hold solely in equilibrium polycondensation reactions and that the polymers obtained by polycondensation methods are of the heterounit type. The ways in which anomalous units are formed and the influence of the heterounit structure on the set of properties of the polymer synthesised have been established. Data on the kinetics and mechanism of non-equilibrium polycondensation are considered. The great importance of catalysis in polycondensation reactions as one of the most significant factors governing progress in this field is demonstrated. Methods for the synthesis of conformationally regular polymers have been discovered by studying acceptor-catalytic polycondensation. A significant influence of solvents on polycondensation processes has been demonstrated. The characteristic features of joint polycondensation involving non-equilibrium reactions, the prospects for the further development of polycondensation processes, and the possible future of polymers obtained in this way are examined.