Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the synthesis and chemical properties of poly-α-amino acids Poly-α-amino acids are synthetic polymers composed of α-amino acid residues linked by peptide bonds They are prepared by polymerization of the corresponding monomers and consist, like other synthetic polymers, of mixtures of homologous macromolecules of varying chain length The preparative methods developed permit the synthesis of a large variety of α-amino acid polymers, in a wide range of average molecular weights A number of different derivatives of α-amino acids and peptides have been used as monomers for the preparation of poly-α-amino acids; the most suitable and commonly used are the N-carboxy-α-amino acid anhydrides (NCAs) These readily undergo polymerization, with carbon dioxide evolution, to yield the corresponding poly-α-amino acids The synthesis of amino acid polymers from the monomers may be accompanied by varying amounts of byproducts that should be removed, during the isolation and purification of the polymer The purification techniques applied are described in the chapter In addition, the methods used to establish the chemical constitution of the polymers and their average molecular weights are given

Synthesis and chemical properties of poly-alpha-amino acids.

Interactions of basic polyelectrolytes with the red blood cell. II. Agglutination of red blood cells by polymeric bases.

The 1:2 divinyl ether-maleic anhydride cyclic alternating copolymer (DIVEMA) shows a wide variety of biological activities. It has antitumor activity; it induces the formation of interferon; it has antiviral, antibacterial, and Figure options <a class="S_C_full_size" data-src="/science?_ob=MiamiCaptionURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=3-s2.0-B9780080209753500050&_image=3-s2.0-B9780080209753500050-fx1.jpg&_cid=289148&_explode=defaultEXP_LIST&_idxType=defaultREF_WORK_INDEX_TYPE&_alpha=defaultALPHA&_ba=&_rdoc=1&_fmt=FULL&_isbn=9780080209753&_pii=B9780080209753500050m it is an anticoagulant and an anti-inflammatory agent. DIVEMA is an immunopotentiator; it increases the rate of phagocytosis, it activates macrophages selectivily, and it inhibits RNA-dependent DNA polymerase.

Biologically Active Synthetic Polymers

http://www.jbc.org/content/early/2003/03/20/jbc.M301852200.full.pdf

Potent Inhibition of Ribonuclease A by Oligo(vinylsulfonic Acid)

High molecular weight polyester resins are sometimes produced from low molecular weight polyester prepolymers having the same composition by solid state polymerization. Polyester prepolymers are generally converted from the amorphous state to the crystalline state prior to solid state polymerization in order to raise their sticking temperature. This is done in order to keep the polyester prepolymer from sticking together as a solid mass in the solid state polymerization reactor. Such polyester prepolymers have traditionally been crystallized by heating them to elevated temperatures. It has been found that polyester prepolymers can be crystallized by exposing them to the vapors of certain volatile organic compounds. By utilizing such vapors to crystallize polyester prepolymers the need for a thermal crystallization step can be eliminated. The present invention specifically relates to an improved process for solid state polymerizing a polyester prepolymer into a high molecular weight polyester resin comprising (1) crystallizing said polyester prepolymer in the presence of the vapor of at least one member selected from the group consisting of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons, volatile ketones, tetrahydrofuran, ethylene oxide, and propylene oxide; and (2) subsequently heating the crystallized polyester prepolymer to a temperature of from about 1° C. to about 50° C. below its sticking temperature for a period of time sufficient to produce a high molecular weight polyester resin.

George E. Hulse

Papers

Synthesis of Poly-β-alanine from Acrylamide. A Novel Synthesis of β-Alanine1

The Synthesis and Polymerization of Ethylenesulfonic Acid

Dyeable acrylonitrile copolymers and method of making