Question

Give the complete name for \[\text{PHBV}\]. How is it useful?

Answer 1

Hint: It is known that polymers such as polysaccharides such as starch or cellulose proteins and nucleic acids which control the various life processes are called biopolymers.

Complete step by step answer:
We know that the complete name for \[\text{PHBV}\] is poly\[-\beta-\]hydroxybutyrate-co\[-\beta-\]hydroxyvalerate. It is a thermoplastic copolymer of \[3-\]hydroxy-butanoic acid and \[3-\]hydroxypentanoic acid in which the two monomer units are connected by ester linkages.
We know that the use of \[\text{PHBV}\] is in specialty packaging, orthopedic devices and in controlled drug release. When a drug is enclosed in a capsule of \[\text{PHBV}\], it is released only when the polymer is degraded in the body. Therefore, we can say that the \[\text{PHBV}\] undergoes bacterial degradation in the environment.

Note:
We know that polymers which disintegrate by themselves over a period of time either by enzymatic hydrolysis or by bacterial degradation or oxidation in the environment are termed as biodegradable polymers. Therefore, we can say that the \[\text{PHBV}\] is one of the biodegradable polymers.