Optically active polymers bearing side‐chain photochromic moieties: synthesis and chiroptical properties of methacrylic and acrylic homopolymers with pendant L‐lactic acid or L‐alanine residues connected to trans‐4‐aminoazobenzene

Novel optically active monomers such as trans-(S)-4-(2-methacryloylaminopropano-ylamino)azobenzene, trans-(S)-4-(2-methacryloyloxypropanoylamino)azobenzene, and trans-(S)-4-(2-acryloylaminopropanoylamino)azobenzene have been prepared and homopolymerized by free radical initiation. Circular dichroism spectra of the resulting polymeric systems, as compared with those obtained for the corresponding low molecular weight analogues, purposely synthesized, allow one to suggest that the macromolecules assume in solution conformations with different homogeneity and prevailing chirality, depending on their structural requirements and solvent interactions.