Unprecedented reversible migration of amide to Schiff base ligands attached to tin: Latent single-site initiators for lactide polymerization

An unprecedented migration of an amino group to the imine carbon atom of family of tridentate salicylaldiminato complexes is described to give highly unusual tetradentate ligands. A reverse process disassembles the so-formed tetradenate ligands to afford single-site initiators for lactide polymerization.