T. Kiyosada et al., ENZYMATIC RING-OPENING POLYADDITION FOR CHITIN SYNTHESIS - A CATIONICMECHANISM IN BASIC SOLUTION, Macromolecular symposia, 132, 1998, pp. 415-420
The in vitro synthesis of chitin via a nonbiosynthetic path has been a
chieved for the first time by enzymatic ring-opening polyaddition of a
chitobiose oxazoline monomer (C2O). Chitinase, a hydrolysis enzyme of
chitin, recognized and polymerized the monomer regio- and stereoselec
tively. The structure of artificial chitin was confirmed by comparison
with an authentic natural chitin sample with the use of CP/MAS C-13 N
MR and IR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction as well as NMR analysis show
ed its crystal structure of alpha-chitin. Characteristic features of t
he present polymerization are described.