Polymerization of Glucose/Disaccharide/SUGAR

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pxjouk
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2014 6:53 am
Occupation: student
Project Question: I am seeking the chemical formula behind the polymerization of dissacharide sucrose. My research project is a comparison between sugar-based plastics and starch-based plastics. I am attempting to create my own sugar-based plastic.
Project Due Date: I need to start collecting data by the end of March 2014. So, I need to know the chemical formula/procedure before March 2014. My actual project is not due until next year.
Project Status: I am just starting

Polymerization of Glucose/Disaccharide/SUGAR

Post by pxjouk »

I am attempting to make a plastic that is out of the norm: sugar-based plastic.
I do not know the chemical process behind this polymerization. I am in desperate need of a procedure, for I must start collecting data soon. But with no procedure/method to follow, I cannot do a single thing but continue to search endlessly for an article that can tell me this. I have checked online databases--so far, nothing. I have "googled" profusely--nothing. I have contacted several companies, engineers, and professors, seeking their correspondence, but nobody has offered any help.

Please help me.

[Email address removed by admin]

-Parissa Joukar
SciB
Expert
Posts: 2071
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2013 7:00 am
Occupation: Retired molecular biologist, university researcher and teacher
Project Question: I wish to join Scibuddies to be able to help students achieve the best science project possible and to understand the science behind it.
Project Due Date: n/a
Project Status: Not applicable

Re: Polymerization of Glucose/Disaccharide/SUGAR

Post by SciB »

Why not try a biological method? Bacteria and yeasts are great little chemical factories and they already make oligo- and polysaccharides. You can feed them different types of sugars and get polysaccharides of different lengths made up of different monomers. I don't know how you can turn these into a plastic but you may get some ideas here:

http://www.research.bayer.com/en/bioche ... ctory.aspx
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php ... d_Plastics

Maybe you have already explored this possibility, but I thought i'd suggest it just in case.

Good luck!

Sybee
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