Thiolactone chemistry, a versatile platform for macromolecular engineering

Thiolactones are often described as latent thiols. They can be ring-opened by hydroxy or amine groups releasing thiols, which can further react with a large variety of functional groups. Based on this one-pot cascade reaction, versatile and powerful tools have been developed for macromolecular engineering. This review covers the different uses of gamma-thiobutyrolactones in polymer chemistry either as thiolation agents, as linkers, as ring-opening polymerization monomers, as reactant in stepwise polymerization, as components of initiating systems, or as functional handles for double post-modification reactions.

Automated summary

Thiolactones are described as latent thiols that can be opened by hydroxy or amine groups to release thiols, which can react with various functional groups. This reaction has been used to develop versatile tools for macromolecular engineering.