Synthesis and characterization of functionalized 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan derivatives

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to design new biomaterials based on functionalized xylan derivatives. In one approach, 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan (MGX) of beechwood was oxidized by sodium periodate (NaIO4). A ratio of 0.2 NaIO4/xylose leads to a degree of oxidation of 0.15 with 75% yield. Then, the oxidized MGX aldehyde was submitted to reductive amination reaction with benzylamine, and as a result, the xylan backbone was effectively grafted with benzyl groups with a degree of substitution of 0.11. In another approach, controlled sulfuric acidic hydrolysis of MGX was performed to get well-defined xylooligosaccharides (XOS). Then, the reductive amination reaction of the XOS aldehyde functions was performed with allylamine or 2-aminoethylazide to graft the chain ends with an allyl or an azide function, respectively. The proposed methods can open a route to the design of new functional biomaterials.