Chemoenzymatic Synthesis and Modification of Monomers and Polymers

The paper describes the use of enzymes for the synthesis of methacrylmonomers based on 11-methacryloyl-amino-undecanoic acid which could be esterified with different alcohol's and ω-hydroxy-fatty-acids. A substrate of interest is enzymatically degradable cyclodextrin as ring component in polyrotaxanes. Cholic acid is a functional monomer that was incorporated into side chains of comb-like polymers via lipase catalyzed esterification in a regiocontrolled manner. Aspartic acid as a trifunctional amino-acid was shown to be suitable for the construction of polymerizable dendrimers. Aminochalcones were shown to be suitable for oxidative polycondensation by use of horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide.