Biodegradable polymers. 7th comm. On the mechanism of ring‐opening polymerization of cyclic esters of aliphatic hydroxycarboxylic acids by means of different tin compounds

To elucidate the effect of tin compounds in the ring‐opening polymerization of lactides and lactones, D,L‐dilactide was taken as an example, and its reaction with different tin compounds at a molar ratio of 1:1 as well as the polymer formation and degradation in dependence of its concentration has been investigated. Two entirely different reaction courses were observed which are consequently influenced by compounds with alcoholic and/or carboxylic OH groups in different ways.