Aqueous Catalyst-Free Derivatization of Polysaccharides with Epoxides at Neutral pH
Abstract
We report a simple revisited route to derivatize polysaccharides with molecular epoxides or epoxide-functionalized macromolecules in water at neutral pH, without a catalyst. Exploiting model reactions on monosaccharide derivatives, we show that the catalyst-free grafting of epoxides is feasible when performed on carboxylated polysaccharides. Using alginate and glycidyl methacrylate, a degree of substitution up to 0.31 can be achieved within 1 day. Thanks to the mild conditions of derivatization (moderate temperatures, neutral pH, no catalyst), this environmentally friendly strategy enables efficient synthesis of advanced polysaccharide-based architectures with chemically sensitive moieties. In line with this, we successfully obtained water-soluble alginate-g-poly(acrylamide-co-glycidyl methacrylate) hybrids, which are highly sought after for water treatment applications, by grafting short hydrophilic epoxide-and xanthate-functionalized poly(AM-co-GMA) copolymers, followed by reversible additionfragmentation chain transfer chain extension.
Related
- Metal-free CO2 fixation: conversion of epoxides to cyclic carbonates by a highly efficient bifunctional boron-tethered N-heterocyclic nitrenium catalyst
- A Boomerang Catalyst Combining High Catalytic Activity and Reusability for Aqueous Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones
- Nano-eggshell/B(III)as a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the synthesis of 1,3-oxazines in aqueous media, along with DFT simulations
- Challenges in Catalyst Design for the Ammonia Oxidation Reaction in Aqueous Media: The Case of Metal Porphyrins
- Graphene Oxide-Anchored Ru-dmso Catalyst for Sustainable Nitrile Hydrolysis in an Aqueous Medium.
BibTeX
@article{pesenti2026aqueous,
title = {{Aqueous Catalyst-Free Derivatization of Polysaccharides with Epoxides at Neutral pH}},
author = {Théo Pesenti and Mathieu Madau and Arthur Bouchut and Maria Tomczak and Agnès Crépet and Carlos Fernandez-De-Alba and Clément Coquery and Renaud Souzy and Olivier Braun and Etienne Fleury and Aurélia Charlot and Julien Bernard},
journal = {ACS Applied Polymer Materials},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1021/acsapm.6c01255},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05799977v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Aqueous Catalyst-Free Derivatization of Polysaccharides with Epoxides at Neutral pH
AU - Théo Pesenti
AU - Mathieu Madau
AU - Arthur Bouchut
AU - Maria Tomczak
AU - Agnès Crépet
AU - Carlos Fernandez-De-Alba
AU - Clément Coquery
AU - Renaud Souzy
AU - Olivier Braun
AU - Etienne Fleury
AU - Aurélia Charlot
AU - Julien Bernard
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/08
JO - ACS Applied Polymer Materials
DO - 10.1021/acsapm.6c01255
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05799977v1
AB - We report a simple revisited route to derivatize polysaccharides with molecular epoxides or epoxide-functionalized macromolecules in water at neutral pH, without a catalyst. Exploiting model reactions on monosaccharide derivatives, we show that the catalyst-free grafting of epoxides is feasible when performed on carboxylated polysaccharides. Using alginate and glycidyl methacrylate, a degree of substitution up to 0.31 can be achieved within 1 day. Thanks to the mild conditions of derivatization (moderate temperatures, neutral pH, no catalyst), this environmentally friendly strategy enables efficient synthesis of advanced polysaccharide-based architectures with chemically sensitive moieties. In line with this, we successfully obtained water-soluble alginate-g-poly(acrylamide-co-glycidyl methacrylate) hybrids, which are highly sought after for water treatment applications, by grafting short hydrophilic epoxide-and xanthate-functionalized poly(AM-co-GMA) copolymers, followed by reversible additionfragmentation chain transfer chain extension.
SN - 2637-6105
ER -