Preparation of new α-hydroxy acids derived from amino acids and their corresponding polyesters

A method is proposed for the synthesis of α-hydroxy acids from natural α-amino acids using a diazotization of α-amino acids. The proposed method is based on optically active substituted glycolic acid derived from amino acids. The method used hydroxy acids to prepare linear homopolyesters and polymers were prepared by direct condensation in bulk with p-toluenesulfonic acid as catalyst. It was observed during the study that the molecular weight of the polymer increased with the addition of lactic acid in the hydrophobic polymers. The study used NMR spectroscopy to observe the polymerization of the monomers. The study concluded that homopolyesters can be obtained from the hydroxy acids and copolymers with lactic by direct condensation. The study observed that obtained polymers have a molecular weight between 1000 and 3000.