and enable nucleophilic catalysis and hydrolysis at a faster rate than the background reaction. This idea worked, but not by the mechanism we designed; rather than nucleophilic catalysis by the ...

Image Credit: ABB Inc. PVA is synthesized via hydrolysis via polyvinyl acetate (PVAc), achieved by a base-catalyzed transesterification (e.g., alcoholysis) with alcohol, such as methanol or ethanol.