Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ring Opening Polymerization, Zoua Pa Vang

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

The goal of the research discussed in this paper is to demonstrate that N-heterocyclic carbenes can be bonded to a transition metal center resulting in a complex that is able to effectively catalyze the ring opening polymerization of caprolactone. While N-Heterocyclic carbene ligands have been documented as effective catalysts for the ring opening polymerization (ROP) of lactones and lactides, less is known about the catalytic abilities of these ligands when bound to a labile metal center. This article focuses on examining the synthesis and reactivity of different transition metal complexes containing tin, zinc, aluminium and titanium metal centers. In addition …