New poly(phenylacetylene)s bearing amino acid moieties

Soluble phenylacetylene (PA) polymers bearing L-amino acid (valine and leucine) side groups were prepared by basic hydrolysis of their corresponding polyesters. ¹H NMR spectra showed that the reaction can hydrolyze the ester bond but with little effect on the amide bond. Both polyacids remained high stereoregularity after hydrolysis. UV spectra confirmed the existence of the PPA main chain. GPC analysis revealed that the molecular weights of the polymers are not affected by the hydrolysis reaction to a meaningful extent.