ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 23, Number 4
JKCSEZ 23(4)
August 20, 1979 

The molar optical rotation of poly(cis-5-methylproline) was measured in solvent mixtures of chloroform and chloroethanol. After proper allowance for time-dependent mutarota-tions, equilibrium states between form A and form B were observed to occur with a solvent composition of 0.5~10 % chloroethanol in chloroform by volume. From the equilibrium constants, which were calculated by optical rotations at equilibrium measured at three different temperatures (5, 25, and 45 ℃), the thermodynamic parameters-free enthalpy, enthalpy and entropy changes for the mutarotation-were evaluated. It was found that starting with equimolar concentrations of form A and form B, the forward mutarotation occurred in the solvent compositions of chloroethanol greater than 3 % by volume, whereas the reverse mutarotation resulted in solvent compositions of chloroethanol less than 3 % by volume. The changes in enthalpy and entropy for the forward mutarotation were found to be positive, while those were for the reverse mutarotation were negative. The driving forces for the forward mutarotation were found to be the increase in entropy, whereas that for the reverse mutarotation was the negative enthalpy change. The thermodynamic data were explained by the interaction between polymer and solvent, i.e., preferential hydrogen bonding of chloroethanol with the carbonyl group in form B over form A, and by difference in conformational energies between form A and form B.