Download or read book Enzyme Catalyzed Synthesis in Ionic Liquids written by Danelle Lynn Furlong and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The synthesis of industrially important polymers can suffer from low conversion because of the need to use fairly harsh synthetic conditions including high temperature, high pressure and low pH. The use of enzymes as cataylsts can help to reduce the demand for these harsh synthetic conditions, allow the synthesis to be performed under more mild conditions, and are renewable catalysts. For this reason, enzymes can reduce chemical waste and offer a greener approach to polymer synthesis. One significant limitation in these reactions is the incompatibility of solvents needed for reactants, products, and catalyst. Enzymes are most active in an aqueous based solvent, while the polymer being produced typically has higher solubility in an organic based solvent. One method to bridge these contradicting conditions has been to use a new class of solvents known as ionic liquids. These solvents are comprised of various cations and anions to influence physical characteristics such as melting an boiling points, viscosity, and hydrophobicity. While polymer synthesis has been accomplished with several different ionic liquids and using enzymes as the catalyst, no in-depth characterization of enzymatic activity in ionic liquids has not been published.