Eight bis(salicylaldiminato)tin(II) complexes have been synthesized from the reaction of Sn[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2) and 2 equiv of the corresponding ligands at room temperature. The ligands, synthesized from salicylaldehyde and amines, were designed to have different electronic and steric properties using different amines to synthesize the tin(II) complexes as aniline (2a), 2,6-dimethylaniline (2b), 2,6-diisopropylaniline (2c), 4-methoxyaniline (2d), 4-trifluoromethylaniline (2e), methylamine (2g), and tert-butylamine (2h). Ligand variation at the salicyl group synthesized from 4-bromosalicylaldehyde and 2,6-diisopropylaniline was used to form complex 2f. Complex 2c was characterized crystallographically. All catalysts were active for the neat polymerization of L-lactide at 115 °C. At a lactide : Sn molar ratio of 10 : 1, cyclic polylactide (PLA) was obtained as demonstrated by (1)H NMR and mass spectrometry. Addition of 1 equiv of benzyl alcohol in the polymerization produced linear PLA. At a higher lactide : Sn molar ratio of 200 : 1, high molecular weight PLAs with M(n) up to 132,200 Daltons were obtained. Results from GPC coupled with light scattering detector and viscometer suggested that they are cyclic PLA. The order of reactivity based on conversion was determined to be 2c < 2b < 2a in accordance with lower steric hindrance. For electronic contribution, the order of 2e < 2a < 2d was observed in agreement with the increasing electron donation of the ligands. Complex 2g having the smallest substituents was found to be the most active catalyst.

Metal(iii) complexes supported by porphyrin and salen ligands were highly efficient for rac-lactide polymerization at room temperature giving isotactic-enriched PLA.

The ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of epoxides and cyclic anhydrides is a promising method for the synthesis of new polyesters with various polymer properties. Among previously reported metal catalysts for ROCOP, the Schiff-base complexes have gained significant attention because of their ease of synthesis and modification. In this work, zinc and magnesium complexes containing Schiff-base ligands with different alkoxy side arms [−(CH2)2O– and −(CH2)3O−] were synthesized and shown to have a cubane metal core by X-ray crystal structures. All complexes were studied in the ROCOP of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and succinic anhydride (SA) in toluene at 110 °C. The zinc complex having a shorter side arm is the most active catalyst for copolymerization, giving poly­(CHO-alt-SA) with narrow dispersity and negligible ether linkage. On the other hand, magnesium complexes were not active because of the formation of stable carboxylate species. The detailed analysis of polyester obtained from zinc complexes unexpectedly revealed three different types of polymer structures occurring at different polymerization times. Cyclic polymer was generated at the beginning by intramolecular transesterification of the alkoxy side arm, giving a low-molecular-weight polyester. At higher conversion, cyclization diminished, giving just a linear polyester but with minor competitive formation of higher-molecular-weight polyester having cyclohexanediol as an end group. On the basis of a thorough understanding of the polymerization mechanism, the desired cyclic poly­(CHO-alt-SA) was successfully synthesized using a low monomer/catalyst ratio.

Tetraphenylporphyrin aluminum(iii) salts, TPPAlX, where X = Me, OEt, OiPr, OCHMeCHCl, and Cl, and bis(triphenylphosphine)imminium chloride, PPNCl (1 : 1) react with rac-lactide, rac-LA, in neat propylene oxide, PO, to yield chains of enriched isotactic polylactide, PLA, with end groups of PO-Cl and with time these yield cyclic polymers (PO)(PLA) where n = 2 or 3 and even higher. There is no reaction between TPPAlOR (R = Et or Pr), PPNCl, and rac-LA in neat THF at 25 °C even though TPPAlOR (R = Et or Pr) and PPNCl in neat PO yields polypropylene oxide with a terminal OR group, H(PO)OR. Taken together, Al(iii) acts as a Lewis acid in the ring-opening of PO, in which PPNCl is present and the incipient ClCHCHMeO initiates the ROP of LA to yield anion chains of [(PLA)-OCHMeCHCl], and then the ring-opening of PO yields cycles, (PO)(PLA), with the liberation of Cl. The polymer was isolated by the addition of MeOH/HCl and end group analysis by mass spectrometry.