The stability and screw sense of the α -helix in poly- β -benzyl-L-aspartate

Abstract

A number of polymers and copolymers containing β -benzyl-L-aspartate has been prepared and their optical rotatory dispersion in a variety of solvents has been measured. The results of these measurements together with studies of infra-red spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns, deuteration rates and molecular models lead to the following conclusions. (i) The α -helical form of poly- β -benzyl-L-aspartate is considerably less stable relative to the solvated randomly coiled form than that of poly- γ -benzyl-L-glutamate. (ii) The left-handed α -helix of poly- β -benzyl-L-aspartate is more stable than the right-handed one. (iii) The difference in stability between the two senses of α -helix is much less in the case of poly- β -benzyl-L-aspartate than in that of poly- γ -benzyl-L-glutamate or poly-L-alanine.