Pseudo-poly(amino acid)s: study on construction and characterization of novel chiral and thermally stable nanostructured poly(ester-imide)s containing different trimellitylimido-amino acid-based diacids and pyromellitoyl-tyrosine-based diol

A new class of chiral and potentially biodegradable poly(ester-imide)s (PEI)s as pseudo-poly(amino acid)s (PAA)s bearing natural amino acids in the main chain was synthesized. In this investigation, N,N′-(pyromellitoyl)-bis-(L-tyrosine dimethyl ester) as a biodegradable optically active diphenol and synthesized trimellitic anhydride-derived dicarboxylic acids containing different natural amino acids such as S-valine, L-methionine, L-leucine, L-isoleucine, and L-phenylalanine were used for direct polyesterification. With the aim of tosyl chloride/pyridine/N,N′-dimethylformamide system as a condensing agent, the new optically active PEIs were obtained in good yields and moderate inherent viscosity up to 0.42 dL/g. The obtained polymers were characterized with FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy, elemental, and thermogravimetric analysis techniques. These polymers show high solubility in organic solvents, such as N,N′-dimethyl acetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and sulfuric acid at room temperature, and are insoluble in solvents, such as methylene chloride, cyclohexane, and water. Morphology probes showed these pseudo-poly(amino acid)s were noncrystalline and nanostructured polymers. On the basis of thermogravimetric analysis data, such PAAs are thermally stable and can be classified as self-extinguishing polymers. In addition due to the existence of amino acids in the polymer backbones these pseudo-PAAs not only are optically active but also are expected to be biodegradable and therefore could be classified under eco-friendly polymers.     

Hydrophobic interactions in the enantioselective solvolyses of optically active activated esters by imidazole-containing polymeric surfactants

Enantioselective solvolyses of optically active activated esters in the aggregate system of optically active polymeric surfactants containing imidazole and benzene moieties were performed. The catalyst polymers [copoly(MHis-DEVAB)] employed were copolymers of N-methacryloyl-L -histidine methyl ester (MHis) with N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecyl-N-[10-(p-vinylcarboxanilido) decyl]ammonium bromide(DEVAB). In the solvolyses of N-carbobenzoxy-D - and L -phenylalanine p-nitrophenyl esters (D -NBP and L -NBP) by polymeric catalysts, copoly(MHis-DEVAB) exhibited not only increased catalytic activity but also enhanced enantioselectivity as the mole percent of surfactant monomers in the copolymers increased. The polymeric catalysts showed noticeable enantioselective solvolyses toward D - and L -NBP of the substrates employed. As the reaction temperature was lowered for the solvolyses of D - and L -NBP with the catalyst polymer containing 4.8 mol% of MHis, an increased reaction rate and enhanced enantioselectivity were observed. The coaggregate systems of the polymer and monomeric surfactants were also investigated. The case of a coaggregate system consisting of 70 mol% of cetyldimethylethylammonium bromide with polymeric catalyst showed maximum enantioselective catalysis, viz., k_cat (L )/k_cat(D ) = 6.68. The catalyst polymers in the sonicated solvolytic solutions were confirmed to form large ordered aggregate structure by electron microscopic observation. From these results, it is concluded that hydrophobic interaction in ordered aggregate structure plays an important role in enantioselective catalysis of optically active imidazole-containing polymers.     

Asymmetric reduction of aromatic ketimines in the presence of helical polymer as catalyst

Novel optically active ethynyl monomers were synthesized from L ‐valine and N‐methyl‐L ‐valine, and polymerized with a rhodium catalyst to provide the polymers with number‐average molecular weights over 200,000 in good yields. The CD and UV‐vis spectra of the polymers indicated that they took helical structures with predominantly one‐handed screw sense in solution. The polymers served as catalysts of asymmetric reduction of aromatic ketimines to afford optically active amines in moderate yields. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4971–4981, 2009     

An electrochemical investigation of novel optically active poly(amide-imide)s based on natural amino acids using multi-wall carbon nanotubes paste electrode

The main aim of this research was to study the electrochemical behavior of novel optically active poly(amide-imide)s (PAIs). Polycondensation reactions of a 3,5-diamino-N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzamide with different synthetic diacid chlorides derivatives based on natural amino acids resulted in preparation of five different aromatic–aliphatic PAIs. These polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and elemental analyses. Also, we used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for the evaluation of these novel optically active PAIs for the first time. Presence of p-substituted phenol groups in the structure of these polymers has been used for electrochemical investigation. Results showed that the oxidation currents in five diverse polymers were affected by their structures. In addition, the influence of carbon nanotubes on the oxidation of phenolic groups was studied using carbon paste matrix in an aqueous buffer solution (pH 7.0).

     

Asymmetric Polymer Synthesis by Repetitive Sakurai–Hosomi Allylation Reaction of Compounds Possessing Both Formyl and Allylsilane Functions

Trialkylallylsilanes generally react with aldehydes in the presence of a Lewis acid to the corresponding homoallylic alcohols. Chiral Lewis acids promote the same reaction to yield the enantiomerically‐enriched homoallylalcohols. We have prepared four compounds ( 7 – 10 ) that possess both formyl and allylsilane functions. Lewis acids initiated self‐polyaddition reactions of these compounds by means of repetitive allylation. The use of chiral Lewis acids resulted in the formation of optically active polymers that possess exo‐methylene and secondary OH functions in their main chain. The optical purity of these chiral polymers was estimated based on the results of model asymmetric reactions between benzaldehyde and β‐substituted allylsilanes and by controlled degradation.     

Highly enantioselective hydrogenation of exocyclic double bond of N-tosyloxazolidinones catalyzed by a neutral rhodium complex and its synthetic applications

A highly enantioselective synthesis of optically active N-tosyl-4-alkyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones based on the asymmetric hydrogenation of the trisubstituted exocyclic double bond of N-tosyl-4-alkylidene-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones under the catalysis of neutral [Rh(COD)Cl]₂ (COD=1,5-cyclooctadiene) and (S)-(+)-DTBM-SEGPHOS was developed. The utility of this highly enantioselective reaction was exemplified by the synthesis of optically active amino acids, amino alcohols, and piperidine derivatives.     

Spectroscopic studies of poly(N-acyldehydroalanines) containing asymmetric nucleic acid base derivatives as pendant groups

Water-soluble polynucleotide analogs having a poly(N-acyldehydroalanine) {poly(α[–(N-acylamino)acrylate])} backbone were studied by 360-HMz ¹H-NMR, UV, and CD spectroscopies. Significant UV hypochromicity values for the polymers versus monomer model compounds as well as peak shifts in the NMR spectra implied a high degree of base stacking in these systems. The CD spectrum of poly{(-)-2-[2-(thymin-l-yl) propanoamido] propenoic acid} (p(-)TDHA), having an optically active side chain, was remarkably insensitive to the degree of neutralization of the polymer, but was very sensitive to the ionic strength of the solution. Continuous variation mixing experiments revealed no base-pairing interactions between complementary charged polymers, and weak interactions between charged and uncharged polymers and model compounds. These results suggest that the polymers are conformationally restricted in solution.     

Kinetic resolution of racemic alcohols catalyzed by minimal artificial acylases derived from l-histidine

The artificial acylases, tert-butyldiphenylsilyl ether and tris(trimethylsilyl)silyl ether of N(π)-methyl-N(α)-(2,4,6-triisopropylbenzenesulfonyl)-l-histidinol, are simple and small molecules, which contain only one chiral carbon center that originates from natural l-histidine. Asymmetric acylation of racemic secondary alcohols with isobutyric anhydride induced by these artificial acylases gave optically active isobutyrates and optically active alcohols with an S(k_{fast-reacting enantiomer}/k_{slow-reacting enantiomer}) value of up to 132. One hydrogen bonding interaction between a sulfonamidyl group of the catalysts and a substrate should be essential for inducing the high level of kinetic resolution through catalytic asymmetric acylation. Furthermore, a reusable polystyrene-bound artificial acylase was developed to examine its practicality.     

Synthesis of chiral mesoporous silica and its potential application to asymmetric separation

Chiral mesoporous silica (CMS) has been successfully synthesized in the presence of basic amino acids; the use of basic amino acids in combination with the chiral anionic surfactant is advantageous for the formation of CMS in terms of uniformity in the twisted morphology. We first demonstrate that thus obtained chiral mesoporous silicas can be used for the enantioselective separation of racemic compounds; the helical rod-shaped CMS is found to be capable of asymmetric separation of racemic N-trifluoroacetylalanine ethyl ester (CF₃CO-Ala-OEt). The left handedness-rich CMS shows asymmetric preferential adsorption of the L isomer and vice versa.     

Chiral Space Formed by (+)‐(1S)‐1,1′‐Binaphthalene‐2,2′‐diyl Phosphate: Recognition of Aliphatic L‐α‐Amino Acids

(+)‐(1S)‐1,1′‐Binaphthalene‐2,2′‐diyl hydrogen phosphate (bnppa) is one of the useful optical selectors. To disclose the molecular mechanism by which bnppa recognizes aliphatic L ‐α‐amino acids and separates them by fractional crystallization, X‐ray analyses of bnppa and of its salts with L ‐alanine, L ‐valine, L ‐norvaline, and L ‐norleucine have been undertaken. All the amino acids adopt energetically favorable conformations in the crystal structures. The conformations and the packing patterns of bnppa in these crystal structures are very similar. The bnppa molecules are packed in a specific way to form hydrophobic and hydrophilic layers that are well separated. Between bnppa molecules, at the interface of these hydrophobic and hydrophilic layers, a space with chirality is formed. This space, designated as chiral space, recognizes the optically active amino acids. The packing of bnppa is mainly governed by intermolecular CH⋅⋅⋅π interactions between naphthalene moieties. The chiral space is responsible for the molecular recognition by bnppa allowing fractional crystallization of the L ‐α‐amino acids.     

Synthetic analogues of polynucleotides—XIII: The resolution of dl-β-(thymin-1-yl)alanine and polymerisation of the β-(thymin-1-yl)alanines

dl-β-(Thymin-1-yl)alanine has been resolved into d(+) and l(?) forms. The pure d(+) form was obtained by fractional crystallisation of the (+)α-methylphenylethylamine salts of the α-N-formyl derivatives. The pure l(?) isomer was obtained on a small scale by chromatography of the same salts. The optically active amino acids and the dl-mixture were polymerised by the mixed anhydride procedure to give polymers which showed no evidence of base stacking or of interaction with polyadenylic acid. The molecular weights of the polymers were in the range 2–4 × 10³. These were determined by end group assay which involved the synthesis of α-N-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-dl-β-(thymin-1-yl)alanine as a standard.     

Synthesis and polymerization of optically active L-[α-(N-p-acryloxybenzoyl)alanine ethyl esters]

New optically active monomers L -[α-(N-p-acryloxybenzoyl)alanine ethyl esters] (I) and their polymers were synthesized. The title monomers (I) were prepared by the reaction of 1-p-acryloxybenzoyloxy-4-chlorobenzotriazoles (II) with L -alanine ethyl ester hydrochloride, by aminolysis of the active monoester. The new typical active ester (II) was synthesized by the N-hydroxy compound active-ester methods in excellent yield. Before the synthesis of the optically active monomers was carried out, a model study of the aminolysis of the two active esters was performed.     

Asymmetric interaction of optically active polymers with asymmetric small molecules. III. The effect of pH on asymmetric interaction of optically active acidic polymer with tryptophan

The interaction of optically active polymer prepared from L-lysine and adipyl chloride by interfacial polycondensation with D - and L-tryptophan was studied. It was found that selective interaction occurred, and the amount of L-isomer bound to the polymer was greater than that of D -isomer in the range from pH 3.0 to 7.5 at 25°C. At near pH 5.0, the maximum asymmetrical ratio was obtained. The optical rotatory dispersion and viscosity of the polymer were measured. The relationship between conformational differences of the polymer and asymmetric interaction is discussed.     

Prodendronic polyamines from stable or labile methacrylates obtained by selective Michael addition onto asymmetric diacrylic compounds

A new synthetic strategy for the preparation of methacrylic monomers and polymers carrying acyl β‐amino groups is presented. The approach is based on the Michael addition of aliphatic amines onto asymmetric acrylic/methacrylic compounds, reacting the amine highly selectively with the acrylic unit while leaving the methacrylic moiety unreacted. The corresponding polymers are then obtained by conventional radical polymerization. The use of N,N,N′,N′‐tetraethyldiethylenetriamine (TEDETA) as the secondary amine leads to TEDETA moieties supported on polymeric chains. The new aminopolymers are sensitive to pH and to temperature exhibiting a lower critical solution temperature of between 50 and 90 °C. A further interesting feature of the new approach is that the stability toward hydrolysis of the side β‐amino acyl compounds was found to be dependent on whether an acrylamide or an acrylate is employed as the acrylic group of the asymmetric starting material. The esters exhibit an enhanced sensitivity to hydrolysis, compared to standard aliphatic esters, and decompose releasing a derivative of the amine precursor, within hours or weeks, depending on the pH and temperature conditions. The use of the amides leads to stable polymers when the same experimental conditions are applied. The novel dendronic polyamines have been proven to interact with DNA and to transfect cells with efficiency close to that obtained with polyethyleneimine vectors used as positive controls. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 2297–2305     

Retention behavior of a homologous series and positional isomers of aliphatic amino acids in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The retention behavior of several series of free α‐ and ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode (HILIC) was studied. The study was carried out on three stationary phases followed by post‐column derivatization with fluorescence detection in order to describe the retention mechanism of the tested amino acids. The effect of chromatographic conditions including acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, mobile phase pH (ranging from 3.5 to 6.5) and concentration of buffer in the mobile phase was investigated. The effect of the number of carbon atoms (n_C) in aliphatic chains of the individual homologue of α‐ and ω‐amino acids and the logarithm of the partition coefficient (logD) on retention was also a part of the presented study. A good correlation (r > 0.98) between the logk and logD values of amino acids or n_C, respectively, was observed. The described linear relationships were subsequently applied to predict the retention behavior of individual members of the homologous series of amino acids and to optimize the mobile phase composition in HILIC. The obtained results confirmed that the retention mechanism of α‐amino acids, ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino acids was based on the logD values and the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic chains of amino acids. The elution order of ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid was strongly dependent on the mobile phase pH in the investigated range whereas the retention factors of all α‐amino acids remained essentially unchanged on all tested stationary phases.     

Synthesis and chirooptical properties of optically active poly(ester imide)s based on axially asymmetric 1,1′‐binaphthyls

A series of optically active poly(ester imide)s (PEsI's) has been synthesized by the polycondensation reactions of new axially asymmetric dianhydrides, that is, (R)‐2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxybenzoyloxy)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl dianhydride and (S)‐2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxybenzoyloxy)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl dianhydride, and various diamines with aromatic, semiaromatic, and aliphatic structures. The polymers have inherent viscosities of 0.45–0.70 dL/g, very good solubility in common organic solvents, glass‐transition temperatures of 124–290 °C, and good thermal stability. Wide‐angle X‐ray crystallography of these polymers shows no crystal diffraction. In comparison with model compounds, an enhanced optical rotatory power has been observed for the repeat unit of optically active PEsI's based on aromatic diamines, and it has been attributed to a collaborative asymmetric perturbation of chiral 1,1′‐binaphthyls along the rigid backbones. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4318–4326, 2004     

Optically active polymeric salts prepared from amino acids and polysulfonylpyrrolidinium chloride

Possibility of preparing optically active polymers from N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride-sulfur dioxide copolymer and optically active acids was studied by the ion-exchange method.     

Editorial

Abstract

Asymmetric syntheses of optically active polymethacrylate, polyacrylate, polyacrylamide, and polyisocyanate with helical conformation and their chiral recognition abilities are described. 1-Phenyldibenzosuberyl methacrylate (PDBSMA) gave a purely onehanded-helical, optically active polymer ([α]₃₆₅ +1670 ～ +1780º) with almost perfectly isotactic structure by anionic polymerization using optically active initiators. Radical polymerizations of PDBSMA using chiral initiators, chain transfer agents, and additives also afforded optically active polymers with a prevailing onehanded helicity. Triphenylmethyl acrylate yielded an optically active, helical polymer ([α]₃₆₅ +102º) having a dyad isotacticity of 70% using an optically active anionic initiator. Although the polyacrylate demonstrated chiral recognition ability as a chiral stationary phase for HPLC, the ability was low mainly because of the low degree of one-handedness. N-(3-Chlorophenyl)-N-phenylacrylamide gave an optically active, helical polymer ([α]_365–343º) in the asymmetric anionic polymerization; the polymer had a dyad tacticity of 77%. Optically active polyisocyanates with a predominantly one-handed helical conformation were prepared in homo-and co-polymerization of optically active phenyl isocyanate derivative. These polyisocyanates showed the ability to discriminate enantiomers in solution.     

Synthesis and properties of optically active amino acid based polyacetylenes bearing eugenol and fluorene moieties

Novel optically active amino acid based polyacetylenes bearing eugenol and fluorene moieties were synthesized, and their properties, including chiroptical ones, were analyzed. N‐[1‐(3,4‐Dimethoxyphenyl)‐2‐propyloxycarbonyl]‐L ‐alanine N′‐propargylamide ( 1 ), N‐[1‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐2‐propyloxycarbonyl]‐L ‐alanine propargyl ester ( 2 ), N‐(9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)‐L ‐alanine N′‐propargylamide ( 3 ), and N‐(9‐fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)‐L ‐alanine propargyl ester ( 4 ) were polymerized with a rhodium‐zwitterion catalyst in tetrahydrofuran to afford the corresponding polymers with moderate molecular weights ranging from 10,800 to 17,300 in good yields. Because of the large specific rotation and circular dichroism (CD) signal, it was concluded that the poly(N‐propargylamide)s [poly( 1 ) and poly( 3 )] took a helical structure with a predominantly one‐handed screw sense. The solvent and temperature could tune the helical structure of poly( 1 ). On the other hand, the poly(propargyl ester)s [poly( 2 ) and poly( 4 )] exhibited only small specific rotations and CD signals. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 810–819, 2006     

Functional monomers and polymers. XXXXI. Template polymerization of methacryloyl-type monomers containing nucleic acid bases

In due consideration of the specific base–base interaction that exists between nucleic acid molecules, the free radical polymerization of N-β-methacryloyloxyethyl derivatives of adenine, thymine, and theophylline initiated by azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) was studied in the presence of N-β-methacryloyloxyethyl-type polymers which have complementary nucleic acid bases as template polymers. The rate of polymerization of N-β-methacryloyloxyethyladenine was accelerated when poly(N-β-methacryloyloxyethyluracil) or -thymine was present in the polymerization system. The effect of the stereoregularity of the template polymers, as well as polymerization temperature and the sort of solvents used on the rate of polymerization, was studied and discussed in some detail. The results suggest that the interaction between complementary bases plays a role in template polymerization behavior.