Divergent [{ONNN}Mg-Cl] complexes in highly active and living lactide polymerization.

Chloro-magnesium complexes of divergent tetradentate-monoanionic {ONNN}-type ligands which formed as either mononuclear or dinuclear complexes are reported. These complexes catalyze the ring-opening polymerization of lactide with high activity and in a living manner, and enable the synthesis of well-defined stereo-diblock copolymers with Mn > 200 kDa, as well as stereo-n-block copolymers (n = tri, tetra) with high molecular weights by sequential monomer addition. Thermal and crystallographic characterizations revealed that even the very high molecular weight PLA copolymers crystallized in a stereocomplex phase, and that their degradation temperature was as high as 354 °C.