ABSTRACT
From their depolymerization to monomeric esters it was concluded that these copolymers are built of monomeric units with R configuration. The accumulation of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) occurs when an excess of a carbon source, e.g., glucose or fructose, is supplied and the growth medium contains limited amounts of nitrogen source. Many microorganisms then start polymerizing (R)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA to PHB by a polymerase bound to the PHB granules. This chapter describes a few applications that appeared recently in the literature concerning optically active derivatives. The possibility of preparation of optically active polymers starting from racemic monomer was demonstrated by Le Borgne et al. Both racemic and optically pure lactones were been prepared in Lenz and Vert groups and this provided the opportunity to study the effect of ehirality on physical properties of the polymers and its biological activity.
