Synthesis of unsymmetrical saturated or diacetylenic cationic bolaamphiphiles

Abstract This work presents the synthesis of novel unsymmetrical bolaamphiphiles bearing a sugar residue and a cationic glycine betaine moiety connected to both ends of a C 22 or C 32 oligomethylene bridging chain possessing or not a diacetylenic unit. Preliminary transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies revealed the polymorphism of these bola lipids with regard to their self-assembled morphologies in water depending on the presence or not of the diacetylenic functionality and on alkyl chain length.