Aluminum Salen Complexes Modified with Unsaturated Alcohol: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Activity towards Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone and D, L-Lactide

Kirill V Zaitsev; Andrey D Trubachev; Yuri F Oprunenko; Yuliya A Piskun; Irina V Vasilenko; Andrei V Churakov; Sergei V Kostjuk

doi:10.3390/molecules28031262

Aluminum Salen Complexes Modified with Unsaturated Alcohol: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Activity towards Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone and D, L-Lactide

Molecules. 2023 Jan 27;28(3):1262. doi: 10.3390/molecules28031262.

Authors

Kirill V Zaitsev¹, Andrey D Trubachev¹, Yuri F Oprunenko¹, Yuliya A Piskun², Irina V Vasilenko^{2

3}, Andrei V Churakov⁴, Sergei V Kostjuk^{2

3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory 1, 3, Moscow 119991, Russia.
² Research Institute for Physical Chemical Problems of the Belarusian State University, Leningradskaya Str., 14, 220006 Minsk, Belarus.
³ Faculty of Chemistry, Belarusian State University, Leningradskaya Str., 14, 220006 Minsk, Belarus.
⁴ N.S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii Pr., 31, Moscow 119991, Russia.
⁵ Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8-2, Trubetskaya Str., Moscow 119992, Russia.

Abstract

A highly efficient one-step approach to the macromonomer synthesis using modified aluminum complexes as catalysts of ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone and D,L-lactide was developed. The syntheses, structures, and catalytic activities of a wide range of aluminum salen complexes, 3a-c, functionalized with unsaturated alcohol (HO(CH₂)₄OCH=CH₂) are reported. X-Ray diffraction studies revealed a tetragonal pyramidal structure for 3c. Among the complexes 3a-c, the highest activity in bulk ROP of ε-caprolactone and D,L-lactide was displayed by 3b, affording polyesters with controlled molecular weights at low monomer to initiator ratios (M_n up to 15,000 g mol^-1), relatively high polydispersities (Ð~1.8) and high number-average functionalities (F_n up to 85%).

Keywords: NMR spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction analysis; aluminum alkoxide; aluminum complex; imine ligands; macromonomer; ring-opening polymerization; salen.

Abstract

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