Synthesis of Novel Sustainable Oligoamides Via Ring‐Opening Polymerization of Lactams Based on (−)‐Menthone

In the context of novel sustainable and structurally significant building blocks for polymer science, the synthetic routes are described to new oligoamide structures based on the terpenoid ketone (−)‐menthone. The basic concept is an oxime formation of this cyclic ketone followed by the Beckmann rearrangement, resulting in the corresponding lactams. These lactams are polymerized under anionic or acid‐catalyzed conditions (ring‐opening polymerization (ROP)) to give alkyl‐substituted and stereocenter containing oligoamide scaffolds that are assumed to be suitable for further copolymerizations and modifications and thus for a wide range of different applications. The regio‐ and the stereochemistry of the formed oximes and lactams as well as their impact on the polymerization behavior is discussed.