Study toward the preparation of aqueous compatible shikimic acid imprinted polymer

Shikimic acid is an important component in the production of several important drugs particularly the anti-influenza drug,oseltamivir. commercially,shikimic acid is extracted from the chinese star anise or produced through the fermentation process by modified strain of e. coli. regardless of the method of production,shikimic acid needs to be purified before it can be used for the intended purpose. conventional method in the purification of shikimic acid usually involves the use of non-specific adsorbents that are less effective in isolating the shikimic acid. molecularly imprinted polymer,being one of the latest adsorbents in separation science,offers an alternative technique that is more selective and specific than the conventional adsorption methods. this article is the exploratory work done to optimise the formulation for the preparation of molecular imprinted polymer for shikimic acid that is 100% compatible with aqueous systems. it emphasises particularly on the effects of various template: monomer: cross-linker ratios (tmx) on the performance of final polymer,including the preliminary evaluation results of the polymer performance.