A Facile and Green Approach for the Preparation of Amine-Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol) by Reducing Poly(ethylene glycol) Azide with Dithiothreitol

A facile and green approach for the preparation of PEG(n)-NH(2)s from PEG(n)-N(3)s in water with DTT as the reduction reagent has been developed, avoiding the introduction of metal ions and difficulties in purification compared to the traditional synthesis process of PEG(n)-NH(2)s. A series of high-purity linear and multiarm PEG(n)-NH(2)s with different molecular weights were synthesized, demonstrating the versatility of this method. Additionally, HS-PEG(45)-NH2 with high fidelity of thiol and amine was easily prepared through the one-step two functional group conversion of N-3-PEG(45)-S-S-PEG(45)-N-3, and the PEG-based NH2-PEG@AuNPs were also prepared. This technology will promote the application of PEG(n)-NH(2)s in the fields of medicine and biomaterials.