Ring Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone Catalyzed with Magnesium Lactate

The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis method of poly(ε-caprolactone) by the ring opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone catalyzed with nontoxic magnesium lactate. The results indicated that Mg(Lac)2 is a catalyst with moderate activity for the polymerization of ε-caprolactone. Effects of the catalyst and reaction temperatures on the microstructure of the ε-caprolactone and L-lactide copolymers were investigated by means of 13C-NMR spectroscopy. An increase in the reaction temperature enhances the role of transesterification and the extent of randomness.