CAREER: Selective Thiol-Ene and Thiol-Yne Chemistry, From First Principles to Organic Materials

在这个由化学部大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，卫斯理大学的布莱恩·诺斯罗普正在研究如何指导化学反应，在分子之间形成特定的联系，形成聚合物。聚合物是长链有机分子，在日常生活的许多方面都使用塑料，包括食品包装，汽车和航空航天运输的结构材料，以及轻质电子设备。这些见解将为制造各种材料和创造具有新特性的新型材料提供更有效的方法。这项研究的结果预计将影响诸如药物靶向递送材料的开发、新的消费者护理产品和新的塑料材料等应用。在这个项目中，布莱恩·诺斯罗普正在研究硫醇与烯烃和炔烃的基本反应性。研究目标包括硫醇烯和硫醇炔反应机理的第一性原理计算建模，选择性硫醇烯和硫醇炔反应条件合成测试的小分子模型研究，以及这些新方法在有机高分子材料合成中的应用。该项目将这些研究目标与拓展项目相结合，包括为小学生提供聚合物科学实践研讨会，以及开发材料化学跨学科项目，以增加本科生对科学的参与和保留。虽然巯基烯和巯基炔反应在聚合物和材料化学的多个领域都有广泛的应用，但目前，很少有已知的方法来进行选择性巯基烯和巯基炔反应，这是本研究项目所要解决的。这项研究将有助于开发更有效的方法来制备具有选择性可调性能的复杂多功能材料。

In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Brian Northrop of Wesleyan University is investigating how to direct chemical reactions to form specific linkages between molecules and form polymers. Polymers are long chain organic molecules and are found in many facets of everyday life that utilize plastics, including food packaging, structural materials for automotive and aerospace transportation, and lightweight electronic devices. These insights will provide more efficient methods for making a variety of materials and for creating new types of materials with novel properties. The results of this research are expected to impact applications such as the development of materials for the targeted delivery of drugs, new consumer care products, and new plastic materials.In this project Brian Northrop is investigating the fundamental reactivity of thiols with alkenes and alkynes. The research objectives include first principles computational modeling of thiol-ene and thiol-yne reaction mechanisms, small molecule model studies for synthetic testing of selective thiol-ene and thiol-yne reaction conditions, and implementation of these new methods in the synthesis of organic macromaterials. The project integrates these research goals with outreach programs that include hands-on workshops in polymer science for elementary school students and the development of an interdisciplinary program in materials chemistry that will increase the participation and retention of undergraduate students in the sciences. While both thiol-ene and thiol-yne reactions have found broad utility across multiple areas of polymer and materials chemistry there are, at present, few known methods for carrying out selective thiol-ene and thiol-yne reactions, which this research project addresses. This research should enable the development of more efficient means to prepare complex, multifunctional materials with selectively tunable properties.