ENZYME-CATALYZED TRANSESTERIFICATIONS OF PENDANT CARBOXYLIC ACID GROUPS

摘要

A method for enzymatically synthesizing a polymer by combining a preselected quantity of an enzyme, a first reactant selected from polymers with at least one carboxylic acid pendant group, a second reactant selected from alcohols, i.e., polyols, in a reaction vessel; heating the reaction vessel to a preselected temperature; and maintaining the reaction vessel at the preselected temperature for a preselected time with mixing, wherein an esterification reaction results at at least one carboxylic acid pendant group of the polymer with one hydroxyl group from the polyol and results in a modified polymer.