New optically active poly(ester-imide)s derived from N,N′-(4,4′-carbonyldiphthaloyl)-bis-L-phenylalanine diacid chloride

New optically active poly(ester-imide)s containing benzophenone tetracarboxylic and L-phenylalanine moieties were synthesized from N,N'(4,4'-carbonyldiphtlialoyl)-BiS-L-phenylalanine diacid chloride (1) with several aromatic diols such as phenolphtalein (2a), hydroquinone (2b), 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (2c), 1,8-dihydroxyanthraquinone (2d), bisphenol-A (2e), 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene (2f), 1,4-dihydroxyanthraquinone (2g) and 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl (2h) by low-temperature solution polycondensation in CHCl3/Et3N solution. The polymerization reactions were started at 0degreesC and proceeded at room temperature, producing a series of optically active poly (ester-imide)s with inherent viscosities of about 0.12-0.31 dL g(-1). All of the above polymers are optically active and have been fully characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses, and specific rotation. Thermal properties of the poly(ester-imide)s have been investigated using thermal gravimetric analysis. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.