A one-step synthesis for cyclodextrin methacrylate monomers was examined st
arting from alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin. The reaction of 2-isocyan
atoethyl methacrylate as well as allylisocyanate with the corresponding cyc
lodextrin gave the monofunctionalized carbamate-linked cyclodextrin methacr
ylates 2, 6 and 9 and allylcarbamates 11 and 14 in moderate yields. By NMR
spectroscopic means, it could be proven that in all cases only the primary
6-hydroxyl groups of the cyclodextrins reacted with the isocyanate group. F
or the synthesis of a beta-cyclodextrin monoallyl compound, a substitution
reaction of purchasable 6-O-monotoluenesulfonyl-beta-cyclodextrin with ally
lamine gave 6-N-allylamino-6-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrin 18 in high yield. The
reaction of 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate with alpha-cyclodextrin to the 6
-O-carbamoyl-2-methylpropenoylethyl-alpha-cyclodextrin (2) was optimized so
that the monomer 2 could be prepared on a larger scale without chromatogra
phic separation. The aqueous radical homopolymerization of 2 with the perox
odisulfate/bisulfite redox initiator gave the water soluble cyclodextrin po
lymer 19 in good yield. Its molecular weight was determined by gel permeati
on chromatography to be M-n = 101,800 corresponding to an average degree of
polymerization P-n = 90.