Lipase-catalyzed acyiation of sugars solubilized in hydrophobic solvents by complexation

By complexing glucose and other mono- and disaccharides with phenylboronic acid, they were solubilized in many organic solvents. Pseudomonas sp. lipoprotein lipase readily acylated such solubilized sugars in these solvents (no reaction was observed without phenylboronic acid, i.e., when sugars are insoluble in the reaction medium). Solubilized D-glucose was enzymatically acylated with vinyl acrylate on a preparative scale, and the resultant 6-O-acryloylglucose was chemically polymerized to yield a sugar-based polyacrylate with a molecular weight of 14,000 Da. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.