Abstract
On the Depolymerization of Poly‐(R)‐3‐hydroxy‐butanoate (PHB)From cell‐free PHB or from dried cells of Alcaligenes eutrophus H 16, which had been grown in an aqueous fructose solution, enantiomerically pure methyl, ethyl, butyl or β‐methoxyethyl (R)‐3‐hydroxy‐butanoates are obtained in yields ranging from 75–90% (0.1 to 70 g scale). The depolymerization is achieved by heating the PHB‐containing materials to temperatures of 80–160° in the corresponding alcohol with or without the cosolvent dichloroethane in the presence of either sulfuric acid or tetraethoxytitanium catalyst. Since (S)‐3‐hydroxy‐butanoates are also readily obtained (by yeast reduction of aceto‐acetates), starting materials derived from 3‐hydroxy‐butyric acid now belong to the especially useful group of synthetic building blocks which are available in both enantiomeric forms.
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