Cellulose-chitin hybrid monomer design

Kobayashi et have also investigated other modes of enzymatic polymerization to produce a novel cellulose-chitin hybrid polysaccharide. A sugar fluoride monomer of GlcNAc/3(l 4)Glc (17) was designed as a TSAS monomer for polymerization catalyzed by cellulase from Trichoderma viride. In the polymerization, monomer 17 was recognized by cellulase from T. viride, leading to a cellulose-chitin hybrid polysaccharide 18 with perfect regioselectivity and stereochemistry (Scheme 17). 

Figure 4. Possible monomer design for the synthesis of a cellulose-chitin hybrid polysaccharide 3.

With the appropriate design of monomers, the following three hybrid polymers, chitin-cellulose hybrid with DP value 22 in 79% yields, chitin-chitosan hybrid with 4280 in 75% yields,and a water-soluble chitin-xylan hybrid with 2730 in 80% yields, have successfully been synthesized (Scheme 37). In all EROPA reactions, structural control is perfect, having ay (l 4) glycosidic linkage. 

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