Macrocyclic lactones, molecular structures

They contain 12-, 14-, or 16-membered macrocyclic lactone rings attached to amino acids and/or a neutral sugar moiety attached via glycoside bonds. Beyond this, their individual chemical structures and sizes as reflected by molecular weight are dramatically different. Thus, despite exerting similar mechanisms on bacteria, they are very chemically different from each other. 

Monomer 33 was made to undergo transesterification polymerization using Ti(OC4H9)4, while monomer 34 was appropriate for a Knoevenagel polycondensation. The transesterification polymerization resulted in the formation of an intractable material of unknown structure. Homopolymerization of 34 by the Knoevenagel technique afforded polymer 35 with a low molecular weight (M 6800). A major byproduct in this polymerization was a macrocyclic lactone, formed via an intramolecular Knoevenagel condensation (Scheme 10-14). 

This method exclusively yields macrocyclic polyesters without any competition with linear polymers. Furthermore, the coordination-insertion ROP process can take part in a more global construction set, ultimately leading to the development of new polymeric materials with versatile and original properties. Note that other types of efficient coordination initiators, i.e., rare earth and yttrium alkoxides, are more and more studied in the framework of the controlled ROP of lactones and (di)lactones [126-129]. These polymerizations are usually characterized by very fast kinetics so as one can expect to (co)polymerize monomers known for their poor reactivity with more conventional systems. Those initiators should extend the control that chemists have already got over the structure of aliphatic polyesters and should therefore allow us to reach again new molecular architectures. It is also important to insist on the very promising enzyme-catalyzed ROP of (di)lactones which will more likely pave the way to a new kind of macromolecular control [6,130-132]. 

ROP of p-lactones is highly prone to numerous side reactions, such as transester-fication, chain-transfer or multiple hydrogen transfer reactions (proton or hydride). Specifically, the latter often causes unwanted functionalities such as crotonate and results in loss over molecular weight control. Above all, backbiting decreases chain length, yielding macrocyclic structures. All these undesired influences are dependent on the reaction conditions such as applied initiator or catalyst, temperature, solvent, or concentration. The easiest way to suppress these side reactions is the coordination of the reactive group to a Lewis acid in conjunction with mild conditions [71]. p-BL can be polymerized cationically and enzymatically but, due to the mentioned facts, the coordinative insertion mechanism is the most favorable. Whereas cationic and enzymatic mechanisms share common mechanistic characteristics, the latter method offers not only the possibility to influence... 

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