Biodegradable polymers obtained from synthetic polysaccharides

3 Biodegradable polymers obtained from synthetic polysaccharides 

We will devote this section to an overview of the study of synthetic polysaccharides. Due to multi-step synthesis of such polymers, they are uneeonomical for use in bulk applications, hence their use is generally limited to biomedieal and other highly specialized low-volume high-value fields (Fraser and Grubbs, 1995 Kallin et al, 1989 Caneiro, et al, 2001 Kobayashi et al, 1985 Nishimura et al, 1990, 1991). However, with the renewed emphasis on researeh with carbohydrate materials, it is safe to predict new developments in applications. 

Sucrose acrylate was synthesized by enzymatic catalysis using an enzyme proleather (a protease from Bacillus Sp.) (Patil et al, 1991a). The sucrose acrylate was polymerized using potassium persulfate/hydrogen peroxide to obtain poly(sucrose acrylate). Tokiwa et al (2000) reported esterification of glucose with adipic acid enzymatically and later on effected its polymerization by conventional methods to obtain biodegradable polymers. Similarly, a-D-galactose was acryloylated with vinyl acrylate enzymatically and later polymerized chemically. 

Martin et al (1992) reported synthesis of a variety of monosaccharides with vinyl acrylate in pyridine to obtain 6-acryloyl esters and later on polymerized them in DMF solvent with AIBN as the initiator to give poly(acrylate) products. Enzymatic reactions have been used to synthesize linear polymers with sugar as part of the main chain (Patil et al, 1991b). More recently, several new lipase grafting reactions on polysaccharides have been carried out. Polysaccharides are 

Olefin metathesis reaction, although not a general method of synthesis of poly(vinylsaccharide)s, has also been employed in some cases to obtain poly(vinylsaccharide)s (Mortell et al, 1996 Fraser and Grubbs, 1995). 

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