Traditional petroleum based plastics are very slow to degrade and as such, have lifetimes that far exceed their functionality. This research concerns the stereocontrolled polymerization of lactide to produce polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester derived from renewable resources. The synthesis of chiral organometallic zinc coordinated catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide will be discussed. The complexes were characterized via 1HNMR, 13CNMR, VT-NMR, and X-ray crystallography. The stereoselectivity, reaction rates, and conversion percentages of the Zn catalyzed polymerizations will be discussed.

Zinc quinolide catalysts for the stereoselective polymerization of lactide

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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