L-Lactic acid (LA) was copolymerized with succinic acid (SA) and 1,4-butenediol (1,4-BED) in bulk state with titanium(IV) butoxide as a catalyst to produce poly(LA-co-SA-co-1,4-BED) (PLASBED). Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) homopolymer obtained from a direct condensation polymerization of LA had weight average molecular weight (M-w) less than 4.1 X 10(4) and was too brittle to prepare specimens for the tensile test. Addition of SA and 1,4-BED to LA produced PLASB with M-w as high as 1.4 X 10(5) and exhibited tensile properties comparable to a commercially available high-molecular-weight PLLA. Chain extension by intermolecular linking reaction through the unsaturated 1,4-BED units in PLASBED with benzoyl peroxide further increased the molecular weight and made PLASBED more ductile and flexible to show elongation at break as high as 450%. Biodegradability of PLASBED measured by the modified Sturm test was nearly independent of the 1,4-BED content. Gel formation during the chain extension did not exert any significant influence on the biodegradability either. (C) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.