Abstract of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School
 of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the
 Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science

 SYNTHESIS AND ENZYMATIC DEGRADATION OF POLY(ESTER AMIDE)
 POLYMERS MADE BY ACYCLIC DIENE METATHESIS

 By

 Joshua Michael Priebe

 May 2004

Chair: Kenneth B. Wagener
Major Department: Chemistry

 Poly(ester amide) polymers (PEAs) were synthesized via ADMET condensation

polymerization of chiral amino alcohol based diene monomers. The monomers were

prepared from chiral amino alcohols and undecenoic acid in the presence of DMAP and

DIC or DCC. The polymerizations were performed using 2nd Generation Grubbs catalyst

utilizing bulk and solution based polymerization methods. Two GPC methods, two angle

light scattering and relative to polystyrene standards, determined the molecular weights

of the PEA polymers. DSC was used to examine the thermal properties of the resultant

unsaturated and saturated high molecular weight polymers. The fully saturated polymers

were exposed to a variety of enzymes, including Papain, trypsin, ca-chymotrypsin, and the

lipase from Rhizopus Arrhizus. The alaninol polymer (14) was the most degradable

polymer synthesized in these experiments.