“…As this (R)-3,3-dimethylmalic acid is a natural and non-toxic compound, a new study was directed towards the synthesis of α,α',β-trisubstituted β-lactones completely unreported. These new lactones could then be polymerized without observing transfer reactions in the aim to obtain this new family of polyester named poly((R,S)-3,3-dimethylmalic acid) (PDMMLA) (Figure 2) [81,82]. Initially, the total synthesis of these α,α',β-trisubstituted β-lactones has been developed.…”