Cyclodextrins in Polymer Synthesis: Synthesis and Influence of Methylatedβ-Cyclodextrin on the Radical Polymerization Behavior of 1,1-Disubstituted 2-Vinylcyclopropane in Aqueous Medium

The chemical and enzymatic hydrolyses of 1,1-diethoxycarbonyl-2-vinylcyclopropane (1) were investigated. The product of the pig liver esterase (PLE)-catalyzed hydrolysis of 1 is a chiral trans monoester of 2-vinylcyclopropane dicarboxylic acid. New 1,1-disubstituted 2-vinylcyclopropane monomers (2a, b) were synthesized by the esterification of this ester. Methylated β-cyclodextrin was used to complex monomers 2a, b, yielding water-soluble 1 : 1 host/guest complexes. These complexes were polymerized in aqueous media by a free-radical ring-opening mechanism.