Ring-opening polymerization
（重定向自Ring opening polymerization）
![General scheme ionic propagation. Propagating center can be radical, cationic or anionic.](/Images/godic/202502/07/General_scheme_ionic_prop4605.png")
![Radical ring-opening polymerization of vinyl cyclopropane](/Images/godic/202502/07/lossy-page1-800px-Grace_figure_revised.tif4606.jpg")
![Radical ROP of ketene acetal.](/Images/godic/202502/07/Radical_ROP_of_ketene_acetal.4606.png")
![The general mechanism for anionic ring-opening polymerization. Polarized functional group is represented by X-Y, where the atom X (usually a carbon atom) becomes electron deficient due to the highly electron-withdrawing nature of Y (usually an oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc.). The nucleophile will attack atom X, thus releasing Y-. The newly formed nucleophile will then attack the atom X in another monomer molecule, and the sequence would repeat until the polymer is formed.[13]](/Images/godic/202502/07/lossy-page1-400px-Wiki566665.tif4607.jpg")
IUPAC definition for ring-opening polymerization
A polymerization in which a cyclic monomer yields a monomeric unit which is acyclic or contains fewer cycles than the monomer.
Note: If the monomer is polycyclic, the opening of a single ring is sufficient to classify the reaction as ring-opening polymerization.