Ring‐opening polymerization of lactide, ε‐caprolactone and their copolymerization catalyzed by β‐diketiminate zinc complexes

A series of zinc silylamido complexes bearing non‐symmetric β ‐diketiminate ligands were synthesized and structurally characterized. Ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of rac ‐lactide catalyzed by these zinc complexes afforded heterotactic polylactides at room temperature (P _r = 0.79 ~ 0.83 in THF). The steric and electronic characteristics of the ancillary ligands showed significant influence on the polymerization performance of the corresponding zinc complexes. All these zinc complexes also showed moderate activities toward the polymerization of ε ‐caprolactone at ambient temperature in toluene, producing polycaprolactones (PCLs) with high molecular weights and moderate polydispersities. PCL‐b ‐PLLA copolymers could be obtained via three different copolymerization strategies (one‐pot polymerization, and sequential addition of the two monomers in either order) by adopting complex 6 as the initiator through the adjustment of reaction temperatures. The diblock nature of the copolymers was confirmed by ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and DSC analysis.     

Controlled random copolymerization of rac‐lactide and ɛ‐caprolactone by well‐designed phenoxyimine Al complexes

The random copolymers poly(LA‐ran‐CL) have improved properties of degradability, mechanical strength, elasticity, and permeability over the PLA and PCL homopolymers. However, the synthesis of such copolymers is still a great challenge in polymer chemistry. In this contribution, we develop a simple but well‐designed phenoxyimine Al complex ( 4 ) with bulky Ph₂CH groups, which achieves controlled random copolymerization of rac‐LA and ɛ‐CL in a living manner (Ð = 1.06–1.09). The reactivity ratios of rac‐LA and ɛ‐CL (r_LA and r_CL) are 1.09 and 1.05 and the average sequence lengths of the lactidyl unit (L_LA) and the caproyl unit (L_CL) are in the range of 1.9–2.0 at different stages of conversion. In marked contrast, Al complexes ( 1–3 ) having less bulky substituents on the ligands only produce gradient copolymers. Furthermore, this strategy of catalyst design would be readily extended to other catalytic systems including β‐ketiminato Al complex ( 5 ). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 611–617     

Ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and L‐lactide from silica nanoparticles surface

Coating of silica nanoparticles by biocompatible and biodegradable polymers of ε‐caprolactone and L ‐lactide was performed in situ by ring‐opening polymerization of the cyclic monomers with aluminum, yttrium, and tin alkoxides as catalysts. Hydroxyl groups were introduced on the silica surface by grafting of a prehydrolyzed 3‐glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane to initiate a catalytic polymerization in the presence of metal alkoxides. In this manner, free polymer chains were formed to grafted ones, and the graft density was controlled by the nature of the metal and the alcohol‐to‐metal ratio. The grafting reaction was extensively characterized by spectroscopic techniques and quantified. Nanocomposites containing up to 96% of polymer were obtained by this technique. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1976–1984, 2004     

Titanium complexes of dialkanolamine ligands as initiators for living ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone

The titanium complexes with one ( 1a , 1b , 1c ) and two ( 2a , 2b ) dialkanolamine ligands were used as initiators in the ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of ε‐caprolactone. Titanocanes 1a and 1b initiated living ROP of ε‐caprolactone affording polymers whose number‐average molecular weights (M_n) increased in direct proportion to monomer conversion (M_n ≤ 30,000 g mol^?1) in agreement with calculated values, and were inversely proportional to initiator concentration, while the molecular weight distribution stayed narrow throughout the polymerization (M_w/M_n ≤ 1.2 up to 80% monomer conversion). ¹H‐NMR and MALDI‐TOF‐MS studies of the obtained poly(ε‐caprolactone)s revealed the presence of an isopropoxy group originated from the initiator at the polymer termini, indicating that the polymerization takes place exclusively at the Ti–OⁱPr bond of the catalyst. The higher molecular weight polymers (M_n ≤ 70,000 g mol^?1) with reasonable MWD (M_w/M_n ≤ 1.6) were synthesized by living ROP of ε‐caprolactone using spirobititanocanes ( 2a , 2b ) and titanocane 1c as initiators. The latter catalysts, according MALDI‐TOF‐MS data, afford poly(ε‐caprolactone)s with almost equal content of α,ω‐dihydroxyl‐ and α‐hydroxyl‐ω(carboxylic acid)‐terminated chains arising due to monomer insertion into “Ti–O” bond of dialkanolamine ligand and from initiation via traces of water, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1230–1240, 2010     

Homo‐ and random copolymerizations of ω‐pentadecalactone with ε‐caprolactone using isothiourea‐based dual catalysis

In this study, the catalytic behavior of dual catalysis based on isothioureas (ITUs) for ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of macrolactone ω‐pentadecalactone (PDL) and its copolymerization with ε‐caprolactone (CL) has been investigated in detail. In the presence of benzyl alcohol (BnOH) initiator, 2,3,6,7‐tetrahydro‐5H‐thiazolo[3,2‐a]pyrimidine (THTP) acted as a representative organic compound, which coupled with magnesium halides (MgX₂) as cocatalysts and catalyzed the polymerization in toluene at 70 °C. Under suitable conditions, an array of polymers with controlled molecular weights and relatively narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized. The formation of homopolymers and copolymers with different architectures was verified using GPC, DSC, NMR, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐ToF) mass. The MALDI‐ToF mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of poly(ω‐pentade‐calactone) (PPDL) provided direct evidence for the successful initiation of ROP of PDL using BnOH to obtain linear PPDL with a very small amount of oligomer. The NMR analysis indicated that the arrangements of PDL and CL units in the copolymer chains were completely random. The thermal stability of copolymers was composition dependent and increased with the increase in the content of PDL unit. Furthermore, the proposed polymerization mechanism is a dual catalytic mechanism. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019     

Blocky poly(ɛ‐caprolactone‐co‐butylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) copolyesters via enzymatic ring opening polymerization

Cyclic oligo(butylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) and ɛ‐caprolactone were copolymerized in bulk at 130–150 °C by enzymatic ring opening polymerization using CALB as catalyst. Copolyesters within a wide range of compositions were thus synthesized with weight‐average molecular weights between 20,000 and 50,000, the highest values being obtained for equimolar or nearly equimolar contents in the two components. The copolyesters consisted of a blocky distribution of the ɛ‐oxycaproate (CL) and butylene furanoate (BF) units that could be further randomized by heating treatment. The thermal stability of these copolyesters was comparable to those of the parent homopolyesters (PBF and PCL), and they all showed crystallinity in more or less degree depending on composition. Their melting and glass‐transition temperatures were ranging between those of PBF and PCL with values increasing almost linearly with the content in BF units. The ability of these copolyesters for crystallizing from the melt was evaluated by comparative isothermal crystallization and found to be favored by the presence of flexible ɛ‐oxycaproate blocks. These copolyesters are essentially insensitive to hydrolysis in neutral aqueous medium but they became noticeably degraded by lipases in an extend that increased with the content in CL units. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 290–299     

Synthesis,characterization, and catalytic activity of titanium iminophenoxide complexes in relation to the ring‐opening polymerization of L‐lactide and ε‐caprolactone

This study synthesized a series of titanium iminophenoxide complexes and investigated their suitability as catalysts for the ring‐opening polymerization of L ‐lactide (L ‐LA) and ε‐caprolactone (CL). Complexes with bidentate ligands demonstrate higher catalytic activity than their tridentate counterparts since the third coordination atom needs to contend with L ‐LA and CL. Differences in the geometric framework of bidentate ligands also influence the catalytic activity. Type II ligands (N, N‐trans form of Ti complex) prevent the coordination of monomers to Ti thereby decreasing the initiation rate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis of biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers from ε‐caprolactone and lactide

This article reports the synthesis and the properties of novel thermoplastic elastomers of A‐B‐A type triblock copolymer structure, where the hard segment A is poly(l ‐lactide) (PLLA) and the soft segment B is poly(ε‐caprolactone‐stat‐d ,l ‐lactide) (P(CL‐stat‐DLLA)). The P(CL‐stat‐DLLA) block with DLLA content of 30 mol % was applied because of its amorphous nature and low glass transition temperature (T_g = approximately ?40 °C). Successive polymerization of l ‐lactide afforded PLLA‐block‐P(CL‐stat‐DLLA)‐block‐PLLAs, which exhibited melting temperature (T_m = approximately 150 °C) for the crystalline PLLA segments and still low T_g (approximately ?30 °C) of the soft segments. The triblock copolymers showed very high elongation at break up to approximately 2800% and elastic properties. The corresponding d ‐triblock copolymers, PDLA‐block‐P(CL‐stat‐DLLA)‐block‐PDLAs (PDLA = poly(d ‐lactide)) were also prepared with the same procedure using d ‐lactide in place of l ‐lactide. When the PLLA‐block‐P(CL‐stat‐DLLA)‐block‐PLLA was blended with PDLA‐block‐P(CL‐stat‐DLLA)‐block‐PDLA, stereocomplex crystals were formed to enhance their T_m as well as tensile properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 489–495     

Ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone via the bismuth‐2‐mercaptoethanol complex

A complex consisting of one Bi³⁺ ion and two 2‐mercaptoethanol units (BiME₂) was used as initiator for the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone in bulk. A kinetic comparison showed that BiME₂ is as reactive as initiator as Sn‐octanoate and more reactive than Bi‐hexanoate. The difference to BiHex₃ decreased at higher temperatures and upon addition of an alcohol as coinitiator. When tetra(ethylene glycol) was used as coinitiator, it was completely incorporated into the poly(εCL) chain, so that telechelic polylactones having two OH‐endgroups were formed. In the absence of a coinitiator, 2‐mercaptoethanol or its disulfide were incorporated in the form of ester groups. Furthermore, it was found by MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry that small amounts of cyclic oligolactones (detected up to a degree of polymerization of 17) were formed under all reaction conditions. Higher temperatures and longer times favored a higher content of cycles. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3175–3183, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of tercopolymers derived from ε‐caprolactone,trimethylene carbonate,and lactide

A series of tri‐components copolymers with different molar ratios were synthesized via bulk ring‐opening copolymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC), L ‐lactide (LLA), and ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL), using stannous octoate as catalyst. The sequence structure of the tercopolymer chain was characterized by ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The results showed that although block sequence of the corresponding monomers still existed in the tercopolymer chain, the random tercopolymers were ultimately obtained due to the transesterification during polymerization. For the samples TP1 and TP2, longer sequence of LLA existed in the molecular chains. The thermal properties of tercopolymers were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the mechanical properties of the resulting copolymers were studied by using a tensile tester. The results indicated that the properties of these copolymers could be adjusted by changing the compositions of the copolymers. The resulting tercopolymers are expected to have potential uses as nerve regeneration and other biomedicine materials. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tridentate anilido‐aldimine magnesium and zinc complexes as efficient catalysts for ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and L‐lactide

A novel tridentate anilido‐aldimine ligand, [o‐C₆H₄(NHAr)? HC?NCH₂CH₂NMe₂] (Ar = 2,6‐ⁱPr₂C₆H₃, L ‐H, 1 ), has been prepared by the condensation of N, N‐dimethylethylenediamine with one molar equivalent of 2‐fluoro‐benzaldehyde in hexane, followed by the addition of the lithium salt of diisopropylaniline in THF. Magnesium (Mg) and zinc (Zn) complexes supported by the tridentate anilido‐aldimine ligand have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Reaction of L ‐H ( 1 ) with an equivalent amount of MgⁿBu₂ or ZnEt₂ produces the monomeric complex [ L MgⁿBu] ( 2 ) or [ L ZnEt] ( 3 ), respectively. Experimental results show that complexes 2 and 3 are efficient catalysts for ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL) and L ‐lactide (LA) in the presence of benzyl alcohol and catalyze the polymerization of ε‐CL and L ‐LA in a controlled fashion yielding polymers with a narrow polydispersity index. In both polymerizations, the activity of Mg complex 2 is higher than that of Zn complex 3 , which is probably due to the higher Lewis acidity and better oxophilic nature of Mg²⁺ metal. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4927–4936, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of aluminum(III) and tin(II) complexes supported by diiminophosphinate ligands and their application in ring‐opening polymerization catalysis of ε‐caprolactone

A series of Al(III) and Sn(II) diiminophosphinate complexes have been synthesized. Reaction of Ph(ArCH₂)P(?NBu^t)NHBu^t (Ar = Ph, 3 ; Ar = 8‐quinolyl, 4 ) with AlR₃ (R = Me, Et) gave aluminum complexes [R₂Al{(NBu^t)₂P(Ph)(CH₂Ar)}] (R = Me, Ar = Ph, 5 ; R = Me, Ar = 8‐quinolyl, 6 ; R = Et, Ar = Ph, 7 ; R = Et, Ar = quinolyl, 8 ). Lithiated 3 and 4 were treated with SnCl₂ to afford tin(II) complexes [ClSn{(NBu^t)₂P(Ph)(CH₂Ar)}] (Ar = Ph, 9 ; Ar = 8‐quinolyl, 10 ). Complex 9 was converted to [(Me₃Si)₂NSn{(NBu^t)₂P(Ph)(CH₂Ph)}] ( 11 ) by treatment with LiN(SiMe₃)₂. Complex 11 was also obtained by reaction of 3 with [Sn{N(SiMe₃)₂}₂]. Complex 9 reacted with [LiOC₆H₄Bu^t‐4] to yield [4‐Bu^tC₆H₄OSn{(NBu^t)₂P(Ph)(CH₂Ph)}] ( 12 ). Compounds 3–12 were characterized by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The structures of complexes 6 , 10 , and 11 were further characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction techniques. The catalytic activity of complexes 5–8 , 11 , and 12 toward the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (CL) was studied. In the presence of BzOH, the complexes catalyzed the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐CL in the activity order of 5 > 7 ≈ 8 > 6 ? 11 > 12 , giving polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions. The kinetic studies showed a first‐order dependency on the monomer concentration in each case. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4621–4631, 2006     

Neodymium‐based catalysts bearing phosphate ligands for ring‐opening polymerization of ɛ‐caprolactone

Neodymium‐based catalysts coordinated with phosphate ligands (NdCl₃·3L), where L = triethyl phosphate (TEP) or tris(2‐ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP), were synthesized. The ring‐opening polymerizations (ROP) of ɛ‐caprolactone (ɛ‐CL) with these catalysts in the presence of benzyl alcohol initiator were performed, yielding polymers with well‐defined molecular weights and relatively narrow polydispersity index (PDI = 1.22–1.65). In situ NMR analysis of the reaction between NdCl₃·3TEP and benzyl alcohol indicated that ROP proceeds through a coordination‐insertion mechanism. The end groups of the resultant polymers were determined using MALDI‐ToF mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The quasi‐living nature of this catalytic system was demonstrated by kinetic studies and the successful synthesis of the block copolymer poly(ɛ‐caprolactone)‐block‐poly(l ‐lactide) by sequential monomer addition. Kinetic studies revealed that the catalyst with the bulkier TEHP ligand increased the rate of ROP of ɛ‐CL as compared to the TEP ligand. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1289–1296     

L,L‐Lactide and ε‐Caprolactone Block Copolymers by a ‘Poly(L,L‐lactide) Block First’ Route

L,L ‐lactide (LA) and ε‐caprolactone (CL) block copolymers have been prepared by initiating the poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) block growth with living poly(L,L ‐lactide) (PLA*). In the previous attempts to prepare block copolymers this way only random copolyesters were obtained because the PLA* + CL cross‐propagation rate was lower than that of the PLA–CL* + PLA transesterification. The present paper shows that application of Al‐alkoxide active centers that bear bulky diphenolate ligands results in efficient suppression of the transesterification. Thus, the corresponding well‐defined di‐ and triblock copolymers could be prepared.

     

Ring opening insertion polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with hydrogen phosphonate initiators

In this work, ring opening insertion polymerization (ROIP) of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) using a series of hydrogen phosphonates (H‐phosphonates) as initiators was investigated. The ROIP occurred by a coordination‐insertion mechanism containing two steps. First, the carbonyl carbon was attacked by the phosphorus atom of the H‐phosphonate tautomerization (a phosphine‐like structure) and the acyl‐oxygen bond was broken. An intermediate was formed by the coordination of the former carbonyl carbon and acyl‐oxygen of ε‐CL to phosphorus atom. Then the phosphorus‐alkoxide of H‐phosphonate was cleavaged to form acyl‐alkoxide bond. Poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐inserted H‐phosphonates (PCL‐HPs), which was not only the product of the occurred ROIP but also the initiator for the next ROIP, were produced. After 60 min of microwave irradiation (510 W), PCL with a number‐average molar mass of 7800 g/mol and monomer conversion over 92% was obtained. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6214–6222, 2009     

Efficient catalysts for ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone and β‐butyrolactone: Synthesis and characterization of zinc complexes based on benzotriazole phenoxide ligands

A series of efficient zinc catalysts supported by sterically bulky benzotriazole phenoxide ( BTP ) ligands are synthesized and structurally characterized. The reactions of diethyl zinc (ZnEt₂) with ^CMe2PhBTP ‐H, ^t‐BuBTP ‐H, and ^TMClBTP ‐H yield monoadduct [(μ‐ BTP )ZnEt]₂ ( 1 – 3 ), respectively. Bisadduct complex [( ^t‐BuBTP )₂Zn] ( 4 ) results from treatment of ZnEt₂ with ^t‐BuBTP ‐H (2 equiv.) in toluene, but treatment of ^TMClBTP ‐H with ZnEt₂ in the same stoichiometric proportion in Et₂O produces five‐coordinated monomeric complex [( ^TMClBTP )₂Zn(Et₂O)] ( 5 ). The molecular structures of compounds 1 , 4 , and 5 are characterized by X‐ray crystal structure determinations. All complexes 1 – 5 are efficient catalysts for the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) in the presence of 9‐anthracenemethanol. Experimental results indicate that complex 3 exhibits the greatest activity with well‐controlled character among these complexes. The polymerizations of ε‐CL and β‐butyrolactone catalyzed by 3 are demonstrated in a “living” character with narrow polydispersity indices (monomer‐to‐initiator ratio in the range of 25–200, PDIs ≤ 1.10). The “immortal” character of 3 provides a way to synthesize as much as 16‐fold polymer chains of poly(ε‐CL) (PCL) with narrow PDI in the presence of a catalyst in a small proportion. The controlled fashion of complex 3 also enabled preparation of the PCL‐b‐poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) copolymer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Synthesis and Ring Opening Polymerization of a New Functional Lactone, α‐Iodo‐ε‐caprolactone: A Novel Route to Functionalized Aliphatic Polyesters

A new functional lactone, α‐iodo‐ε‐caprolactone (αIεCL), was synthesized from ε‐caprolactone by anionic activation using a non‐nucleophilic strong base (lithium diisopropylamide) followed by an electrophilic substitution with iodine chloride. Ring‐opening (co)polymerizations of the resulting monomer with ε‐caprolactone were carried out using tin 2‐ethylhexanoate as a catalyst in toluene at 100 °C. Homopolymerization of αIεCL was achieved, and poly(αIεCL) was fully characterized by SEC, ¹H NMR and elemental analysis. Random copolymerizations of αIεCL with εCL were controlled with experimental molecular weights close to the theoretical values, narrow molecular weight distributions and a good agreement between experimental and theoretical molar compositions of αIεCL.

     

Synthesis of Novel Star Shaped Poly(ε‐caprolactone) Utilizing Fullerene as the Molecular Core

Summary: The synthesis of star shaped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) with a fullerene molecular core (s‐PCLF) was successfully achieved by the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with fullerenol as the initiator. Through NMR and GPC analysis, the average number of arms of PCL on each fullerene core was estimated to be 2–3.

Fullerenol (left) and PCL star polymer (right) in THF.     

Block and random copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone,L‐, and rac‐lactide using titanium complex derived from aminodiol ligand

A series of di‐ and triblock copolymers [poly(L ‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone), poly(D,L ‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone), poly(ε‐caprolactone‐b‐L ‐lactide), and poly(ε‐caprolactone‐b‐L ‐lactide‐b‐ε‐caprolactone)] have been synthesized successfully by sequential ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) and lactide (LA) either by initiating PCL block growth with living PLA chain end or vice versa using titanium complexes supported by aminodiol ligands as initiators. Poly(trimethylene carbonate‐b‐ε‐caprolactone) was also prepared. A series of random copolymers with different comonomer composition were also synthesized in solution and bulk of ε‐CL and D,L ‐lactide. The chemical composition and microstructure of the copolymers suggest a random distribution with short average sequence length of both the LA and ε‐CL. Transesterification reactions played a key role in the redistribution of monomer sequence and the chain microstructures. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis of the copolymer also evidenced the random structure of the copolymer with a unique T_g. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of ferrocene‐containing N‐aryloxo β‐ketoiminate lanthanide complexes and polymerization of ε‐caprolactone

The synthesis, characterization and ε‐caprolactone polymerization behavior of lanthanide amido complexes stabilized by ferrocene‐containing N‐aryloxo functionalized β‐ketoiminate ligand FcCOCH₂C(Me)N(2‐HO‐5‐Bu^t‐C₆H₃) (LH₂, Fc = ferrocenyl) are described. The lanthanide amido complexes [LLnN(SiMe₃)₂(THF)]₂ [Ln = Nd ( 1 ), Sm ( 2 ), Yb ( 3 ), Y ( 4 )] were synthesized in good yields by the amine elimination reactions of LH₂ with Ln[N(SiMe₃)₂]₃(µ‐Cl)Li(THF)₃ in a 1:1 molar ratio in THF. These complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and ¹H NMR spectroscopy was added for the analysis of complex 4 . The definitive molecular structures of complexes 1 and 3 were determined by X‐ray diffraction studies. Complexes 1 – 4 can initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of ε‐caprolactone with moderate activity. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.