There are a number of naturally occuring carbonyl compounds (e.g., glyoxylic acid, pyruvic acid) that can be isolated from naturally occurring sources or prepared from a range of precursors, including carbon dioxide. Polymerization of these monomers results in polyacetals that can easily be degraded in the presence of acids. We will discuss the controlled polymerization of glyoxylate esters from hydroxyl-terminated macroinitiators and the preparation of a range of block copolymers with degradable polyglyoxylate blocks, including polymers that form hydrogels. Efforts toward expanding these polymerization methods to include other monomers and to be more environmentally friendly will also be discussed.

Toward sustainable polymerization of carbonyl compounds

2019 Fall National Meeting

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