Synthesis of 3- and 4-hydroxybutyrate copolymer (3HB-CO-4HB), the most promising member of the biodegradable polyhydroxyalcanoate (PHA) family, has been studied. Cultivation conditions of naturally occurring strains of hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria Ralstonia eutropha B5786 and Cupriavidus eutrophus B10646 have been optimized to ensure efficient synthesis of the 3HB-CO-4HB copolymer. A set of highly pure samples of the 3HB-CO-4HB copolymer with 4HB content varying from 8.7 to 24.3 mol % has been obtained. Incorporation of 4-HB into the copolymer was shown to cause a more pronounced decrease in polymer crystallinity than the incorporation of 3-hydroxyvalerate or 3-hydroxyhexanoate; samples with a degree of crystallinity below 30% have been obtained. The weight average molecular mass of the 3HB-CO-4HB copolymers was shown to be independent on the monomer ratio and to vary broadly (from 540 to 1110 kDa).
