[(salen)Al]-Mediated, Controlled and Stereoselective Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactide in Solution and without Solvent: Synthesis of Highly Isotactic Polylactide Stereocopolymers from Racemic d,l-Lactide

Easily accessible [(salen)(iPrO)Al] exerts excellent molecular-weight and stereochemical control in lactide polymerization either in solution or in the absence of solvent. The R,R initiator shows a marked preference for L-lactide over D-lactide. Stereoblock copolylactides (see scheme) with high melting points can be prepared directly from d,l-lactides by using a racemic initiator. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2002/z19632_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.