A dual catalytic setup based on N‐heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) and magnesium bis(hexamethyldisilazide) (Mg(HMDS)2) was used to prepare poly(propylene oxide) with a molar mass (Mn) >500 000 g mol-1, in some cases even >106 g mol-1, as determined by GPC/light scattering. This is achieved by combining the rapid polymerization characteristics of a zwitterionic, Lewis pair type mechanism with the efficient epoxide activation by the MgII species. Transfer‐to‐monomer, traditionally frustrating attempts at synthesizing polyethers with a high degree of polymerization, is practically removed as a limiting factor by this approach. NMR and MALDI‐ToF MS experiments reveal key aspects of the proposed mechanism, whereby the polymerization is initiated via nucleophilic attack by the NHO on the activated monomer, generating a zwitterionic species. This strategy can also be extended to other epoxides, including functionalized monomers.
This dataset is structured according to Tables (and specifc table entries) and Schemes in the research article. It contains NMR raw data as well as GPC and MALDI ToF MS raw data (the latter two in the form of exported .txt files). The data can be used to replicate conclusions about polymer properties (end groups, molar masses, chemical structure).
