名称:
Comparative Study of Lactide Polymerization with Lithium, Sodium, Magnesium, and Calcium Complexes of BHT
摘要:
A series of Li, Na, Mg, and Ca complexes with 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) as the ligand has been synthesized, and their reactivity for the ring-opening polymerization of lactide has been studied. The Ca complex with 2,2'-ethylidenebis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenol) (EDBP) as the ligand also has been synthesized to compare with the BHT systems. All complexes, in the presence of benzyl alcohol as initiator, exhibit high activity for the ring-opening polymerization of lactide. Polymerization activities follow the order of Na >> Li > Ca >> Mg. Additionally, metal-BHT systems are more efficient than metal EDBP systems, and this superiority was pronounced in THF solution. Four model metal BHT complexes with coordinated dimethoxyethane (DME) have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These complexes exhibited a wide variation in the C-ipso-O-metal angle (159.3 degrees to 180.0 degrees), and DFT calculations suggested that this flexibility allows the metal to vary its electron density and thereby expedite the catalytic cycle that requires both monomer activation and substrate lability.