JV-Carboxyanhydride

Polyamino acids are easy to prepare by nucleophUe-initiated polymerisation of amino acid JV-carboxyanhydrides. Polymers such as poly-(L)-leucine act as robust catalysts for the epoxi-dation of a wide range of electron-poor alkenes, such as y-substituted a,Ji-unsaturated ketones. The optically active epoxides so formed may be transformed into heterocyclic compounds, polyhydroxylated materials and biologically active compounds such as dUtiazem and taxol side chain. 

D-Galactans.—L-Arabino-D-galactan has been cross-linked with epichlorohydrin and used for affinity chromatographic purification of the lectins from Arachis hypogaeafi and Ricinus communis. Larch arabinogalactan copolymerized with L-leucine JV-carboxyanhydride and then mixed (5 2) with agarose has been used for the purification of the lectin from Tridacna maxima. ... 

PEO-fc-PAAs are synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of an JV-carboxyanhydride (NCA) of an amino acid with a protected side chain, initiated from the primary amino group of Qr-methoxy-cD-aminoPEO [45]. For example, PEO-fc-poly()6-benzyl L-aspartate) (PEO-l -PBLA) and PEO-fc-poly(e-benzyloxycarbonyl L-lysine) (PEO-l -P(Lys(Z))) are synthesized by... 

Oxidative addition of a-amino acid-jV-carboxyanhydrides to a Pt(0) complex leads to a six-membered platinacycle 437 (Equation (110)). The complex initiates ring-opening polymerization of 7-benzyl-L-glutamate-iV-carboxyanhydride. 

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