biostudies-literatureUnknown61(40)Hador RThe production of L-lactide from L-lactic acid involves a substantial formation of meso-lactide as an impurity, and, upon polymerization with the industrial catalyst tin octanoate, results in poly(L-lactic acid) of reduced crystallinity due to stereoerrors randomly distributed along the polymer chains. We describe a new approach wherein, instead of avoiding stereoerrors by removing the meso-lactide prior to polymerization, the stereoerrors in the polymer are tolerated, by crowding them in a stereogradient copolymer. A zirconium complex of an amine tris(phenolate) ligand is found to exhibit very high syndioselectivity in the ring opening polymerization catalysis of meso-lactide at room temperature, and gives rise to stereogradient copolymers in the polymerization of mixtures of meso-lactideAngewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)e202207652https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9796763biostudies-literatureStereogradient Poly(Lactic Acid) from meso-Lactide/L-Lactide Mixtures.PMC9796763Kol MVenditto VShuster MHador RfalseStereogradient Poly(Lactic Acid) from meso-Lactide/L-Lactide Mixtures.The production of L-lactide from L-lactic acid involves a substantial formation of meso-lactide as an impurity, and, upon polymerization with the industrial catalyst tin octanoate, results in poly(L-lactic acid) of reduced crystallinity due to stereoerrors randomly distributed along the polymer chains. We describe a new approach wherein, instead of avoiding stereoerrors by removing the meso-lactide prior to polymerization, the stereoerrors in the polymer are tolerated, by crowding them in a stereogradient copolymer. A zirconium complex of an amine tris(phenolate) ligand is found to exhibit very high syndioselectivity in the ring opening polymerization catalysis of meso-lactide at room temperature, and gives rise to stereogradient copolymers in the polymerization of mixtures of meso-lactide2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Oct2025-04-04T10:59:20.734Z2025-04-04T10:59:20.734ZS-EPMC97967633578952410.1002/anie.202207652