Valentine P. Ananikov, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, and colleagues have developed a green route for the vinylation of carbohydrates with calcium carbide, the synthesis of vinyl ethers of natural carbohydrates, and the preparation of the corresponding polymeric material (pictured).

Thea team used various carbohydrates as starting materials in the one-pot vinylation of carbohydrates, resulting in mono-, di-, and tetravinyl ethers in high to excellent yields (81–92 %). Only inexpensive inorganic compounds (KF, KOH, CaCO₂) were used. The researchers combined the synthetic procedure with extraction with hexane and further purification by vacuum distillation. The synthesized biobased vinyl ethers were used as monomers in free radical and cationic polymerizations to obtain two types of biobased materials with a unique combination of a smooth surface and intrinsic microcompartments.

The synthesized materials were characterized by using electron microscopy, and the intrinsic organization was studied by using a focused ion beam technique. According to the researchers, they have developed a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly procedure.

• A Green and Sustainable Route to Carbohydrate Vinyl Ethers for Accessing Bioinspired Materials with a Unique Microspherical Morphology,
  Konstantin S. Rodygin, Irina Werner, Valentine P. Ananikov,
  ChemSusChem 2017.
  https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201701489