Hydrogen Bond Donors in the Catalytic Pocket: The Case of the Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclic Esters Catalyzed by an Amino-Propoxide Aluminum Complex

Overview

Journal Polymers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Date 2024 Nov 9

PMID 39518256

Authors

Salvatore Impemba

Antonella Viceconte

Irene Tozio

Shoaib Anwar

Gabriele Manca

Stefano Milione

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

A new aluminum complex (NSO)AlMe featuring a hydrogen bond donor on the ligand backbone has been synthesized via the reaction of AlMe with 1-((2-(isopropylamino)phenyl)thio)propan-2-ol (NSO-H) and spectroscopically characterized. In the complex, the aluminum atom is in a distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere determined by the anionic oxygen and neutral nitrogen atoms of the ligand and by the two carbon atoms of the alkyl groups. After proper activation, the complex (NSO)AlMe was able to promote the ring-opening polymerization of -, -lactide, -caprolactone and --butyrolactone. The polymerization of -lactide was faster than that of -lactide: in a toluene solution at 80 °C, the high monomer conversion of 100 equivalents was achieved in 1.5 h, reaching a turnover frequency of 63 mol·mol·h. The experimental molecular weights of the obtained polymers were close to those calculated, assuming the growth of one polymer chain for one added alcohol equivalent and the polydispersity indexes were monomodal and narrow. The kinetic investigation of the polymerization led to the determination of the apparent propagation constants and the Gibbs free energies of activation for the reaction; the terminal groups of the polymers were also identified. The complex (NSO)AlMe was active in harsh conditions such as at a very low concentration or in the melt using technical-grade -lactide. A relatively high level of activity was observed in the ring-opening polymerization of -caprolactone and --butyrolactone. DFT calculations were performed and revealed the central role of the NH function of the coordinated ligand. Acting as a hydrogen bond donor, it docks the monomer in the proximity of the metal center and activates it toward the nucleophilic attack of the growing polymer chain.

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