A Greener Enzymatic Oligoesterification of Biobased Renewable Synthons

Polyesters of xylitol and succinic acid were prepared yielding from 70 to 75% by enzyme-catalyzed esterification using a molar mass from 1:1 to 2:5 at 120 and 140 °C employing from 1 to 10% m/m of enzyme. Control over branching degree was achieved by tuning the reaction conditions (temperature, time, comonomer ratio, enzyme content). This one-step process from renewable starting materials avoids protection-deprotection techniques, as well as the use of toxic solvents by introducing limonene as solvent for polyesterification for the first time. All materials were structurally characterized by ...