Block Copolysaccharides from Methylated and Acetylated Cellulose and Starch

Biomacromolecules. 2022 Jun 13;23(6):2280-2289. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c01673. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Abstract

All-glucose block copolysaccharides with alternated α- and β-configured blocks do not exist in nature. Such polysaccharides, and materials made thereof, might exhibit very interesting properties due to the different supramolecular structures of the two α- and β-configured blocks. This would be helical for starch and linear for cellulose in the case of a non-derivatized all-glucose polysaccharide. We propose a synthetic pathway for the preparation of methylated and acetylated building blocks of cellulose and amylose for the regioselective modification at the non-reducing and reducing end to act as glycosyl acceptors and donors, respectively. The glycosyl acceptors with the opposite α- or β-configured blocks were prepared by acid-catalyzed methanolysis of permethylated amylose as well as cellulose. The regioselectively modified glycosyl donors and acceptors were successfully used in the preparation of block copolysaccharides with an α(1 → 4)-configured and a β(1 → 4)-configured oligo- or polysaccharide block, respectively.

MeSH terms

  • Amylose*
  • Cellulose
  • Glucose
  • Polysaccharides
  • Starch*

Substances

  • Polysaccharides
  • Cellulose
  • Starch
  • Amylose
  • Glucose