A Biodegradable, Polymer-Supported Oxygen Atom Transfer Reagent

Authors

• Erin E. Ramey, Hope College
• Elizabeth L. Whitman, Berry College
• Cole Buller, Hope College
• James R. Tucker, Berry College
• Charles S. Jolly, Berry College
• Kjersti G. Oberle, Hope College
• Austin J. Becksvoort, Hope College
• Mark Turlington, Berry College
• Christopher R. Turlington, Hope CollegeFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2023

Publication Source

Polymers

Volume Number

15

Issue Number

9

E-ISSN

20734360

Article Number

2052

Abstract

Biodegradable polymers are desirable to mitigate the environmental impact of plastic waste in the environment. Over the past several decades, the development of organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization (OROP) has made the synthesis of many new types of biodegradable polymers possible. In this research article, the first example of an oxygen atom transfer reagent pendant on a biodegradable polymer backbone is reported. The monomers for the polycarbonate backbone are sourced from the biodegradable 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl) propionic acid molecule, and an iodoaryl group is installed pendant to the cyclic monomer for post-polymerization modification into an iodosylaryl oxygen atom transfer reagent. The key I-O bond is characterized by XPS spectroscopy, and a test reaction to triphenylphosphine demonstrates the ability of the polymer to engage in an oxygen atom transfer reaction with a substrate.

Keywords

biodegradable polymers, organocatalytic ring-opening polymerization, oxygen atom transfer

Recommended Citation

Published in: Polymers, Volume 15, Issue 9, May 1, 2023.