Alternating copolymerization of dihydrocoumarin and epoxides catalyzed by chromium salen complexes: a new route to functional polyesters.

We report the alternating ring-opening copolymerization of dihydrocoumarin with epoxides catalyzed by chromium(III) salen complexes. This process provides access to a range of perfectly alternating polyesters with high molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. Atactic poly(cyclohexene dihydrocoumarate) and poly(cyclopentene dihydrocoumarate) were found to be semi-crystalline by differential scanning calorimetry.