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Updated: Nov 14, 2025

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Chirality-Directed Regioselectivity: An Approach for the Synthesis of Alternating Poly(Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid)
Yiye Lu1, Jordan H Swisher2, Tara Y Meyer2
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-1301, United States.
Abstract:
We report the synthesis of alternating poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) via a regioselective ring-opening polymerization of (S)-methyl glycolide. An enantiopure aluminum salen catalyst with binaphthyl backbone facilitates the regioselective ring-opening of this unsymmetrical cyclic diester exclusively at the glycolide acyl-oxygen bond site. This living, chain-growth polymerization is able to reach low dispersities with tailored molecular weights. Quantitative regioselectivity calculations and sequence error analysis have been established for this sequence-controlled polymer.
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