Polyethylene glycol-containing hematin (PEGylated hematin) was prepared using the Mitsunobu reaction as a water-soluble biomimetic catalyst for polymerization of arbutin in a phosphate buffer solution of pH 7.0. The structure of polyarbutin obtained was characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. PEGylated hematin showed high catalytic activity for arbutin polymerization, indicating that it is a better catalyst compared with horseradish peroxidase.
- Michinari Kohri
- Haruka Fukushima
- Takayuki Nakahira