Preparation and characterization of cyclic polyesters from ring‐chain reactions of poly(oxyepichlorhydrin oxymaloyl)

In this article, the synthesis and characterization of cyclic polyesters of poly(oxyepichlorhydrin oxymaloyl) from a ring‐chain reaction induced by “Maghnite,” an acid‐exchanged montmorillonite as acid solid ecocatalyst (Mag‐H⁺), is described. Maghnite is already used as catalyst for polymerization of many vinylic and heterocyclic monomers [Belbachir, U.S. Pat. 066969.0101 (2001)]. The reactions were monitored by gel permeation chromatography and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy and the existence of cyclic species was proven. The effect of the amount of catalyst on yield and molecular weight of polymer was studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 1240–1243, 2006