Abstract
The solid state and fluxional behaviors in solution of complexes L2AlOBn and L7AlOBn (Bn = benzyl) supported by an analog of salen incorporating indolide arms connected via their 2- and 7-positions were defined by experiment and theory. The complexes catalyze the stereoselective conversion of rac-lactide (rac-LA) to isotactically enriched polylactide. A key aspect of the stereocontrol was examined through study of the initiation reactions via NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystal structures of the ring-opened products, and theory. The results include the first unambiguous structural definition of stereocontrol in ring-opening of LA by a metal-alkoxide complex and the finding that definition of the stereochemistry of initiation by the studied system is governed thermodynamically rather than kinetically.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1809-1818 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Macromolecules |
Volume | 53 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 10 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers, a NSF Center for Chemical Innovation, CHE-1901635. X-ray diffraction data were collected using diffractometers acquired through NSF-MRI Award No. CHE-1229400 (University of Minnesota) or 1827756 (Washington University in St. Louis).
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers, a NSF Center for Chemical Innovation, CHE-1901635. X-ray diffraction data were collected using diffractometers acquired through NSF-MRI Award No. CHE-1229400 (University of Minnesota) or 1827756 (Washington University in St. Louis).
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2020 American Chemical Society.