title: Polyester and polycarbonate synthesis by in vitro enzyme catalysis.
abstract: Enzyme technology has significantly expanded in scope and impact over the past 10 years to include organic transformations in non-traditional environments. This is in part due to an increased understanding and capability of using enzyme catalysis in a wide variety of organic solvents, at interfaces, and at high temperatures and pressures. This review focuses on a relatively new but rapidly expanding research activity where in vitro enzyme catalysis is used for the synthesis of non-natural polyesters and polycarbonates. The inclination to use of enzymes for polymer synthesis has been fueled by a desire to carry out these reactions in the absence of heavy metals, at lower temperatures, and with increased selectivity. Aspects of this work that include enzyme-catalyzed step-growth condensation reactions, chain-growth ring-opening polymerizations, and corresponding transesterification of macromolecular substrates are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Polytechnic University, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Six Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA. rgross@poly.edu
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000215:Acylation; D002254:Carbonates / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002384:Catalysis; D004951:Esterification; D007700:Kinetics; D008049:Lipase / Q000378:metabolism*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D011108:Polymers; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D002254:Carbonates; D011091:Polyesters; D011108:Polymers; D008049:Lipase