| Abstract: | Glucosyl styrene ( 1a ), maltosyl styrene ( 1b ), and maltohexaosyl styrene ( 1c ) were prepared by the glycosylation of 4‐vinylbenzyl alcohol with the corresponding glycosyl trichloroacetimidates with boron trifluoride diethyl ether complex. The copolymerizations of 1a – 1c with styrene were carried out with 2,2′‐azobis(2‐methylpropionitrile) as an initiator in dry N,N‐dimethylformamide at 60 °C, and this was followed by deacetylation to produce amphiphilic polystyrenes with glucose ( 3a ), maltose ( 3b ), and maltohexaose ( 3c ) as hydrophilic segments. 3 showed various solubility characteristics that were dependent on the content of glucose residues, especially within a range of 20–50 wt %. The solubility characteristics of 3 , related to the copolymer composition, indicated that the hydrophilic property was remarkably improved with an increased number of glucose units, that is, in the order 3a < 3b ? 3c . The results described in this article provide useful information for the design of glycoconjugated architectures with desired amphiphilic properties. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 4061–4067, 2001 |
