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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Designed for Molecular Recycling: A Lignin-Derived Semi-aromatic Biobased Polymer
Published on: November 30, 2020
Comparison of salicylate-based poly(anhydride-esters) formed via melt-condensation versus solution polymerization
Robert C Schmeltzer1, Michelle Johnson, Jeremy Griffin
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Abstract:
Salicylate-based poly(anhydride-esters) were synthesized via two different methods, melt-condensation and solution polymerization, and the resulting polymers were compared. Acetylsalicylic acid was used as a model compound to mimic the active polymer chain-ends during melt-condensation, and formed a low-molecular-weight (<1500) polymer when subjected to melt-condensation polymerization conditions. The polymers and model compounds were analyzed by NMR ((1)H and (13)C) and IR spectroscopies to elucidate the structures. Spectroscopic analysis revealed the formation of a thermodynamically stable salicylate ester via salicylate-anhydride rearrangement during melt-condensation polymerization, which did not occur during solution polymerization. The salicylate-based poly(anhydride-esters) undergo a thermodynamic rearrangement during melt-condensation polymerization that is not observed for solution polymerization.
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