Glycine residues induce a helical structure in polyamides

We analyse the conformation of copolyamides with regularly alternating glycine and ω-amino acid units (nylons 2 n). These polymers have a crystalline structure with hydrogen bonds running in three different directions; the standard structure of nylons with parallel sheets of hydrogen-bonded molecules is no longer present. The detailed structure depends on whether n is odd or even, which respectively gives rise to trigonal or hexagonal crystalline structures. © 1994.