A facile glovebox-free strategy to significantly accelerate the syntheses of well-defined polypeptides by N-carboxyanhydride (NCA) ring opening polymerizations.

ABSTRACT: A facile N₂ flow-accelerated N-carboxyanhydride ring opening polymerization (NCA ROP) is demonstrated, herein, with rigorous kinetic studies to evaluate the methodology in detail. By using n-hexylamine as initiator and γ-benzyl-L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride (BLG-NCA) as monomer, the NCA ROP via a normal amine mechanism (NAM) reached 90% conversion in 2 h under N₂ flow at room temperature in a fume hood, much shorter than the time required for the same polymerization conducted in a glove box (14 h). The efficient removal of CO₂ from the reaction by N₂ flow drove the carbamic acid-amine equilibrium toward the formation of active nucleophilic amino termini and promoted polymerization. The detailed kinetic studies of the

SUBMITTER: Zou J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3686519 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature