Cyclic Poly(Alpha-Peptoid)S By Lithium Bis(Trimethylsilyl)Amide (Lihmds)-Mediated Ring-Expansion Polymerization: Simple Access To Bioactive Backbones

Cyclic polymers display unique physicochemical and biological properties. However, their development is often limited by their challenging preparation. In this work, we present a simple route to cyclic poly(alpha-peptoids) from N-alkylated-N-carboxyanhydrides (NNCA) using LiHMDS promoted ring-expansion polymerization (REP) in DMF. This new method allows the unprecedented use of lysine-like monomers in REP to design bioactive macrocycles bearing pharmaceutical potential against Clostridioides difficile, a bacterium responsible for nosocomial infections.