Polylactide condensation

Polylactide is a degradable polyester, formed by the ring-opening polymerization of lactide or the condensation polymerization of lactic acid. Lactide is produced from lactic acid, which derives from the fermentation of D-glucose, which is usually harvested from high-starch-content crops, such as com or sugar beet (Fig. 1). 

Polylactic acid (PLA) is the world s most popular synthetic biodegradable polymer and has a widespread use in the biomedical field. It maybe obtained directly from lactic acid by condensation polymerization or, more commonly, by ring-opening polymerization from the cyclic dimer of lactic acid lactide. Lactide is a chiral molecule that exists in three isomeric forms D(-), L(+) and racemic (D,L) lactide. Consequently, the polymerization of this monomer can lead to the formation of three different forms of polylactide poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), poly-D-lactic acid (PDLA), and poly-D,L-lactic acid (PDLLA). The general representation of the chemical structure of PLA is presented in Figure 16.10. 

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