Polycaprolactone (PCL) is an important polymer due to its mechanical properties, miscibility with a large range of other polymers and biodegradability. Two main pathways to produce polycaprolactone have been described in the literature: the polycondensation of a hydroxycarboxylic acid: 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, and the ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of a lactone: e-caprolactone (e-CL). This critical review summarises the different conditions which have been described to synthesise PCL, and gives a broad overview of the different catalytic systems that were used (enzymatic, organic and metal catalyst systems). A surprising variety of catalytic systems have been studied, touching on virtually every section of the periodic table. A detailed list of reaction conditions and catalysts/initiators is given and reaction mechanisms are presented where known. Emphasis is put on the ROP pathway due to its prevalence in the literature and the superior polymer that is obtained. In addition, ineffective systems that have been tried to catalyse the production of PCL are included in the electronic supplementary information for completeness (141 references).

/pdf/synthesis-of-polycaprolactone-a-review-vlm9rxg878.pdf

Synthesis of polycaprolactone: a review

Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. への投稿のすすめ

Catalytic Enantioselective Formation of C−C Bonds by Addition to Imines and Hydrazones: A Ten-Year Update

Conventional synthesis of inorganic materials relies heavily on water and organic solvents. Alternatively, the synthesis of inorganic materials using, or in the presence of, ionic liquids represents a burgeoning direction in materials chemistry. Use of ionic liquids in solvent extraction and organic catalysis has been extensively studied, but their use in inorganic synthesis has just begun. Ionic liquids are a family of non-conventional molten salts that can act as templates and precursors to inorganic materials, as well as solvents. They offer many advantages, such as negligible vapor pressures, wide liquidus ranges, good thermal stability, tunable solubility for both organic and inorganic molecules, and much synthetic flexibility. In this Review, the use of ionic liquids in the preparation of several categories of inorganic and hybrid materials (i.e., metal structures, non-metal elements, silicas, organosilicas, metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, metal salts, open-framework structures, ionic liquid-functionalized materials, and supported ionic liquids) is summarized. The status quo of the research field is assessed, and some future perspectives are furnished.

Preparation of Inorganic Materials Using Ionic Liquids

Multimetallic catalysis based on heterometallic complexes and clusters.

Wenowpresentastrategyforamoreversatileexploita-tionofliquid-crystaltemplateeffects,whichisillustratedbythe electrolysis of imidazolium liquid crystals containingdicyanoargentate(I)anddicyanoaurate(I)anionstoproducesilverandgoldnanoparticles.Thekeytothisapproachisthecouplingoftheself-organizationoftheimidazoliummetallatetotheuseofelectrochemicalreduction,thelatterprovidingthe means to control the particle size and form of theelectrodeposited metals by variation of parameters such asthepotentialandthecurrentdensity.Many mesomorphic imidazolium salts can be readilypreparedbysimplemetathesisreactionsinvolvingprecipita-tion from aqueous solutions containing the appropriateanions. In investigating this chemistry, we sought to useanionsincorporatingtransitionmetalstoendowtheproductswith properties such as redox activity and variable conduc-tivity.Thus,wehavesynthesizeddicyanoargentate(I)(1)anddicyanoaurate(I)(2)derivativesof3-(4-dodecyloxybenzyl)-1-methyl-1H-imidazolium in good yield(over 80%) from thebromidestartingmaterial(Scheme1).

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/anie.200600929

Electrodeposition of silver particles and gold nanoparticles from ionic liquid-crystal precursors.

Neutron diffraction study of CeMn2Ge2, PrMn2Ge2 and NdMn2Ge2: evidence of dominant antiferromagnetic components within the (001) Mn planes in ferromagnetic ThCr2Si2-type manganese ternary compounds

Richard Welter

Papers

Electrodeposition of silver particles and gold nanoparticles from ionic liquid-crystal precursors.

Neutron diffraction study of CeMn2Ge2, PrMn2Ge2 and NdMn2Ge2: evidence of dominant antiferromagnetic components within the (001) Mn planes in ferromagnetic ThCr2Si2-type manganese ternary compounds

Crystallographic data and magnetic properties of RT6Ge6 compounds (R Sc, Y, Nd, Sm, GdLu; TMn, Fe)

Nickel Complexes with Oxazoline-Based P,N-Chelate Ligands: Synthesis, Structures, and Catalytic Ethylene Oligomerization Behavior†

Magnetic properties of RFeSi (RLa-Sm, Gd-Dy) from susceptibility measurements and neutron diffraction studies