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Azide-Substituted Polylactide: A Biodegradable Substrate for Antimicrobial Materials via Click Chemistry Attachment
Abstract:
Polylactide (PL) co-polymers substituted with pendant azide groups (azido-PL) were synthesized by the nucleophilic conjugate addition of 3-azido-1-propanethiol to a co-polymer of PL containing α,β-unsaturated ester units, poly(lactide-co-methylene glycolide) (ene-PL) that is obtained from the base-promoted dehydrochlorination of poly(lactide-co-chlorolactide) (chloro-PL). Alternatively, azido-PL was prepared by the treatment of chloro-PL with 3-azido-1-propanethiol without isolation of the ene-PL intermediate. The azido-PL was functionalized by copper-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with four alkynes: propargyl 4-methoxybenzoate, N,N,N-trimethyl-N-propargylammonium bromide, N,N-dimethyl-N-octyl-N-propargylammonium bromide, and N,N,N-trioctyl-N-propargylammonium bromide. Polymer adducts with N,N,N-trioctyl-N-propargylammonium bromide displayed potent antimicrobial activity both in suspension and as a polymer film.
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Attachment
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Azide ions act as good nucleophiles and react with unhindered alkyl halides to form alkyl azides. Alkyl azides do not participate in further nucleophilic substitution reactions, thereby eliminating the chances of polyalkylated products. Alkyl azides are reduced by hydride-based reducing agents, like lithium aluminum...
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The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity...

