1-n-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate: a versatile precatalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone and rac-lactide under solvent-free conditions

The ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) and rac-lactide (rac-LA) under solvent-free conditions and using 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-2-carboxylate (BMIM-2-CO2) as precatalyst is described. Linear and star-branched polyesters were synthesized by successive use of benzyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerol and pentaerythritol as initiator alcohols, and the products were fully characterized by 1H and 13C{1H} NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). BMIM-2-CO2 acts as an N-heterocyclic carbene precursor, resulting from in situ decarboxylation, either by heating under vacuo (method A) or by addition of NaBPh4 (method B). Possible catalytic and deactivation mechanisms are proposed

Photopolymerizable Synthons from Glycerol Derivatives

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