Dendrimers and Molecular Imprinting: A Means to Nano-Architectured Heterogeneous Catalysts

本研究的重点是探索使用“智能聚合物”作为过渡金属催化的支撑。这项工作解决了在“活性位点”中运作的催化剂的合成，就像酶提供外球结构和功能以帮助控制催化反应的能量学一样。本研究的重点是设计和实现一种新的策略来最大化活性位点的均匀性，同时也为控制印迹聚合物的分子结构和组成提供了新的工具。指导本研究的假设是，将枝状金属单体共聚成高度交联的有机聚合物将导致活性位点，其中枝状臂在大块聚合物和活性位点的腔体之间提供了一个定义良好（且可变）的界面。有了这个更新奖，有机和大分子化学项目支持米歇尔·r·加涅博士的研究和教育工作。加涅教授将把他的工作重点放在利用新的环境来催化金属，以指导它们的反应性。正在开发的新方法将允许创造新的催化剂，预计这将对制药公司制造药物的方式产生影响，并对化学工业生产各种重要化合物的方法产生影响。

The focus of this research is to explore the use of "smart polymers" as supports for transition metal catalysis. This work addresses the synthesis of catalysts that operate in an "active site" in the same way that enzymes provide outer-sphere structure and functionality to help control the energetics of catalyzed reactions. The emphasis of this research is the design and implementation of a new strategy for maximizing active site homogeneity, while also providing new tools for controlling the molecular architecture and composition of imprinted polymers. Guiding this research is the hypothesis that copolymerizing dendritic metallomonomers into highly crosslinked organic polymers will lead to active sites wherein the dendritic arms provide a well-defined (and variable) interface between the bulk polymer and the cavity of the active site.With this Renewal award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research and educational efforts of Dr. Michel R. Gagne. Professor Gagne will focus his work on the use of new environments for catalytic metals in order to guide their reactivity. The new methods being developed will permit the creation of new catalysts, which are expected to have an impact on the way in which pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs, and on the methods used by the chemical industry to produce a variety of important chemical compounds.