Stereoregular polyamides entirely based on tartaric acid

Two new stereoregular polyamides, namely PTA‐LL and PTA‐LD, derived from (2S,3S)‐(−)‐2,3‐dimethoxy‐1,4‐butanediamine and (2R,3R)‐(+)‐ or (2S,3S)‐(−)‐2,3‐dimethoxybutanedioic acid are described. The two diastereoisomeric polymers contain two pairs of stereocenters in the main chain of the repeating unit, one in the diamine and the other in the diacid counterpart. L and D refer to the configuration of the tartaric acid unit from which they proceed. These polyamides were prepared by polycondensation in solution and were fully characterized by elemental analysis, DSC, and IR/NMR spectroscopies. Number average molecular weights around 30,000 were estimated by GPC and viscosimetry. Both compounds are soluble in water and display large optical activity. CD and ¹H‐NMR measurements in chloroform solution suggested the presence of definite secondary structures in this solvent. Solid samples were found to crystallize upon annealing and the crystal structure of both polyamides was investigated by X‐ray diffraction. PTA‐LL crystallized in an orthorhombic lattice in the space group P22₁2₁ whereas PTA‐LD seemed to adopt a P1 triclinic structure. In both cases the polymer chain appears to be in a folded conformation more contracted than in the common γ‐form of conventional nylons. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 983–993, 1999