STRUCTURE OF OLIGOMERS OF GLYCINE AND EPSILON-AMINOCAPROIC ACID AS A MODEL OF NYLON-2 6/

We have determined the structure of acetyl-(glycyl-epsilon-aminocaproy l)(2)-NH-propyl by X-ray diffraction methods as a model of nylon 2/6. The structure obtained confirms the tendency of glycine copolyamides t o adopt a structure similar to polyglycine II with hydrogen bonds in t hree different directions. Our results also show that the epsilon-amin ocaproyl residue adopts a conformation in which its two terminal pepti de groups form hydrogen bonds with an angle of about 120 degrees. This observation might be of interest in order to understand the polymorph ism of nylon 6.