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Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
Published on: November 21, 2017
Formation of Reactant Complex Structure for Initiation Reaction of Lactone Ring-Opening Polymerization by Cooperation
Masayoshi Takayanagi1,2, Shoko Ito1, Kentaro Matsumoto1
1Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University , Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan.
Abstract:
Ring-opening polymerization of lactones initiated by cyclodextrins has been reported as a promising polymer synthetic method. To investigate the unknown molecular level mechanism of the initiation reaction, we executed molecular dynamics simulations of model systems composed of single or multiple β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) molecules in δ-valerolactone (VL) solvent and explored the reactant complex structures satisfying three conditions (VL inclusion in the β-CD cavity, hydrogen bonding, and nucleophilic attack) at the same time. As a result, we confirmed the formation of the reactant complex structure. Comparison between the single and multiple β-CD models revealed that the formation is more frequent and the distance for the nucleophilic attack is shorter in the multiple model. Therefore, we anticipate that the reaction proceeds more efficiently by the cooperation of multiple β-CDs. This finding will contribute to understanding the reaction mechanism from the atomistic point of view.
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