Speeding-up enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of polyamides using ω-amino-α-alkoxy-acetate as monomer

The design of ω-amino-α-alkoxy-acetate as monomer enables to dramatically speed up the formation of polyamides catalyzed by the supported lipase B of Candida antarctica. Only 30 min are needed to reach 93% conversion whereas 240 h are necessary to observe the same level of conversion with a monomer devoided of an oxygen atom in position β relative to the electrophilic carbonyl group. Yields, Mn, Mw, DPn and PDI reach very good values for an enzymatic synthesis of polyamides.