Effective stereoselective approach to substituted 1,4-dioxane-2,5-diones as prospective substrates for ring-opening polymerization

Intramolecular cyclization of alpha-bromoacyl derivatives of alpha-hydroxy acids affords 1,4-dioxane-2,5-diones. The method is suitable to obtain mono- and disubstituted products, the latter being formed stereoselectively as (S,S)-diastereomers, as confirmed by DFT modeling.