Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, Vol.49, No.23, 4964-4976, 2011
Synthesis of Diblock Methylcellulose Derivatives with Regioselective Functionalization Patterns
This article describes a new synthesis strategy to prepare diblock copolymers as model compounds for industrially produced cellulose ethers exemplified with methylcellulose (MC). To elucidate a key structure for thermoreversible gelation of MC, five regioselectively methylated celluloses 1-5 (236, 23, 26, 3, and 6 MC), five corresponding methyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 4)-cellulosides 6-10, and five equiv methyl-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-( 1 -> 4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 -> 4)-cellulosides 11-15 were synthesized for the first time via combination of the glycosyl trichloroacetimidate method and the acid-catalyzed methanolysis method. The structure of compounds 1-15 was confirmed by means of NMR spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 49: 4964-4976, 2011
Keywords:diblock copolymers;gelation;glycosylation;methylcellulose;oligomers;polysaccharides;regioselective functionalization