Enzymatic Synthesis of Chitin- and Chitosan-graft-Aliphatic Polyesters

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 25; no. 20; pp. 1776 - 1780
• Main Authors: Fujioka, Masayori, Okada, Hideyuki, Kusaka, Yukihiko, Nishiyama, Satoko, Noguchi, Hiromichi, Ishii, Shigeru, Yoshida, Yasuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 22-10-2004; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley
• Subjects: Applied sciences; biodegradable; chitin; enzymes; Exact sciences and technology; graft copolymers; lactone; Natural polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Starch and polysaccharides; Lactone copolymer; Insoluble compound; Graft copolymer; Enzyme; Triacylglycerol lipase; Butyrate(hydroxy) copolymer; Enzymatic catalysis; Esterases; Chitin; Experimental study; Grafting; Carboxylic ester hydrolases; Caprolactone copolymer; Preparation; Hydrolases; Oside polymer; Chitosan
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.200400288

The title polymers, in which both the stem and the graft are biodegradable, have been synthesized for the first time in a one‐pot, lipase‐catalyzed, graft‐polymerization reaction (in bulk, at 70 °C) of β‐butyrolactone (β‐BL) and ε‐caprolactone (ε‐CL) onto chitin and chitosan. The reactivity order of the lactones was found to be ε‐CL > β‐BL ≫ γ‐BL (no reaction). All the graft polymers prepared are insoluble in common organic solvents.
Synthesis of chitin‐ or chitosan‐graft‐aliphatic polyesters.