Comb-like polyelectrolytes with pyridinium and trimethylammonium cations: Micellar catalytic and antibacterial properties

Abstract

Here we report of two different but related properties of comb-like polyelectrolytes, namely, poly-11-acryloyloxyundecylpyridinium bromide and poly-11-acryloyloxyundecyltrimethylammonium bromide. The micellar catalytic activity of polyelectrolytes in alkali hydrolyses reactions of 4-nitrophenyl ethers and their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the focus of this work. A comparative analysis on the declared properties of a comb-like polyelectrolyte vs monomer and a non-polymerizable surfactant were carried out. The influence of the ionic strength on the solubilization and the catalytic activity of comb-like polyelectrolytes were studied. The catalytic activity of comb-like polyelectrolytes is several times higher than that for low-molecular analogs. The largest differences are observed at low catalyst concentrations. Antibacterial activity of monomers and polymers against staphylococci and escherichia using drip method was revealed. Investigated polyelectrolytes have generally order of magnitude lower inhibitory concentrations in E. coli compared to their monomers. Only one of the polymers synthesized by us turned out to be active against staphylococci.