Editing Imide (section)

==Occurrence and applications==
Many high strength or electrically conductive polymers contain imide subunits, i.e., the [[polyimide]]s. One example is [[Kapton]] where the repeat unit consists of two imide groups derived from aromatic tetracarboxylic acids.<ref>Walter W. Wright and Michael Hallden-Abberton "Polyimides" in ''Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry'', 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a21_253}}</ref> Another example of polyimides is the polyglutarimide typically made from polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and ammonia or a primary amine by aminolysis and cyclization of the PMMA at high temperature and pressure, typically in an extruder. This technique is called reactive extrusion. A commercial polyglutarimide product based on the methylamine derivative of PMMA, called Kamax, was produced by the Rohm and Haas company. The toughness of these materials reflects the rigidity of the imide functional group.

Interest in the bioactivity of imide-containing compounds was sparked by the early discovery of the high bioactivity of the [[Cycloheximide]] as an inhibitor of protein biosynthesis in certain organisms. [[Thalidomide]], famous for its adverse effects, is one result of this research. A number of [[fungicide]]s and herbicides contain the imide functionality. Examples include [[Captan]], which is considered carcinogenic under some conditions, and [[Procymidone]].<ref>Peter Ackermann, Paul Margot, Franz Müller "Fungicides, Agricultural" in ''Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry'', 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi|10.1002/14356007.a12_085}}</ref>
[[Image:Imide'.png|thumb|600 px|center|Illustrative imides, from left: [[N-ethylmaleimide|''N''-ethylmaleimide]], a biochemical reagent; [[phthalimide]], an industrial chemical intermediate; [[Captan]], a controversial pesticide; [[thalidomide]], a drug that once caused many birth defects; a subunit of [[Kapton]], a high strength polymer used to make [[space suits]].]]

In the 21st century new interest arose in thalidomide's immunomodulatory effects, leading to the class of immunomodulators known as [[immunomodulatory imide drug]]s (IMiDs).