Poly(2-oxazoline)s terminated with 2,2'-imino diacetic acid form noncovalent polymer-enzyme conjugates that are highly active in organic solvents.

A great limitation for the usability of free enzymes in organic solvents is their insolubility in these media. Some surfactants are capable of solubilizing enzymes in such media, but they are hard to remove. Covalent modification of enzymes with polymers has led to polymer-enzyme conjugates (PECs) that are soluble in organic solvents, but the process is quite elaborate. Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) with the end group 2,2'-imino diacetic acid were shown to form reversible, nano-sized noncovalent aggregates with enzymes. These PECs give clear solutions in organic solvents. The enzymes lysozyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), laccase, α-chymotrypsin (CT), catalase, and alcohol dehydrogenase could be solubilized in chloroform and toluene at concentrations of up to 2 mg protein/ml. Laccase, HRP, and CT were shown to survive the transfer into the organic medium and back to water in their active form. The distribution coefficient of the proteins between water and the organic solvent was shown to be dependent on the nature of the POx backbone. All three biocatalysts exhibit greatly enhanced activity in the respective organic solvent.