SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF STEREOREGULAR POLY(ESTER AMIDES) DERIVED FROM CARBOHYDRATES

Two poly(ester amides) containing three methoxy groups stereoregularly attached to the main chain have been prepared by using naturally occu rring L-arabinose and D-xylose as the starting materials. The polymers were prepared by the active ester polycondensation method and charact erized by elemental analysis, IR, and H-1- and C-13-NMR spectroscopies . Both viscosimetry and GPC were used to estimate the molecular weight s. The polymers are hydrophilic, one of them being water soluble, and exhibited moderate optical activity. Thermal and X-ray diffraction stu dies revealed that they are slightly crystalline and stable up to 250 degrees C under nitrogen. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.