Bredereck's reagent revisited: Latent anionic ring-opening polymerization and transesterification reactions

The ring-opening polymerization of lactide with commercially available Bredereck-type reagents in the presence or absence of alcohol initiators was carried out affording polylactide with controlled molecular weight and narrow polydispersities. An anionic mechanism involving heterolytic cleavage to alkoxides is proposed, where these reagents function as latent anionic initiators for the ring-opening polymerization of lactide.