Synthesis of symmetric bis-α-ketoamides from renewable starting materials and comparative study of their nucleating efficiency in PLLA.

An efficient and smart synthesis of bis-α-ketoamides has been disclosed. The desired products have been obtained through a Passerini multicomponent reaction using biobased aldehydes, acetic acid and bis-isocyanides (prepared from the corresponding biobased diamides), followed by a deprotection/oxidation step. The effect of the synthesized compounds on the crystallization behavior of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) has been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in non-isothermal conditions.