Syntheses and reactions of functional polymers. XCVII. Chemical activation and functionalization of poly(γ-methyl-L-glutamate)

To enhance its solubility in common solvents poly(γ-methyl-L -glutamate) (PMG) was transesterificated with ethylene chlorohydrin, ethylene cyanohydrin, and β,β,β-trichloroethanol, respectively. The aminolyses of the resulting polymers proceeded easily in pendant ester groups to give the corresponding amides in reasonable yields without main chain fission. By these procedures the incorporation of functional groups such as azide, amino acid, and thiol into PMG is successfully performed.