Controlled curing of adhesive complex coacervates with reversible periodate carbohydrate complexes

Abstract Periodate oxidation of carbohydrates with vicinal hydroxyl groups and aromatic ortho‐dihydroxyphenyl groups has been employed extensively to initiate crosslinking or conjugation reactions in adhesive biomaterials. Periodate forms stable tridentate complexes with carbohydrates containing three appropriately configured hydroxyls, such as 1,2‐O‐isopropylidene‐a‐D‐glucofuranose, that are not appreciably oxidized relative to carbohydrates with vicinal hydroxyls and ortho‐dihydroxyphenyl groups. In the presence of 1,2‐O‐Isopropylidene‐a‐D‐glucofuranose the rate of periodate oxidation of dihydroxy containing compounds is controlled by the rates of association and dissociation of the periodate‐carbohydrate complex. By varying the ratio of 1,2‐O‐isopropylidene‐a‐D‐glucofuranose to periodate the curing rate of adhesive complex coacervates was varied over a wide range. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2011.