Grafting polymerization of single‐handed helical poly(phenyl isocyanide)s on graphene oxide and their application in enantioselective separation

We herein report a “grafting from” strategy to immobilize optically active helical poly(phenyl isocyanide)s onto graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets. After covalently bounding alkyne‐Pd(II) initiator onto GO nanosheets, the designed GO/polymer composites P1 @GO and P1 ‐b‐ P2 @GO featuring single‐handed helical poly(phenyl isocyanide)s growing from GO nanosheets were prepared by sequential addition of the chiral and achiral isocyanide monomers. Post‐synthetic hydrolysis rendered P1 ‐b‐ P3 @GO to improve the hydrophilicity. The successful covalent bonding of poly(phenyl isocyanide)s chains onto GO nanosheets was certified by several cross evidences including scan emission microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Circular dichroism spectra proved that the chiral information was introduced through the grafted single‐handed helical polymer chains successfully. In addition, the resulting GO/polymer composites were explored as a chiral additive to induce enantioselective crystallization of racemic organic molecules. Preferential formation of rod‐like L‐alanine crystals was induced by composites bearing right‐handed helical poly(phenyl isocyanide)s. The enantiomeric excess value of the induced crystals reached 76%, displaying the potential in future applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 2092–2103     

Self-assembling phenylpropyl ether dendronized helical polyphenylacetylenes

The first example of a self-assembling phenylpropyl ether based dendronized polymer has been reported and its preferred helical handedness has been determined. Dendronized polymer poly(10) and its nondendritic analogue poly(8) are high-cis-content polyphenylacetylenes (PPAs) prepared by using [Rh(nbd)Cl]2/NEt3 (nbd: 2,5-norbornadiene). Both polymers possess a stereocenter in their side chain, which selects a preferred helical handedness. Based on negative exciton chirality observed in the CD spectra of poly(10), we have designated this molecule as a right-handed helical polymer, which persists over a wide temperature range. Poly(10) self-organizes into both Phiioh and Phih lattices in bulk. The Phiioh-to-Phih transition is associated with thermoreversible cis-cisoidal to cis-transoidal isomerization of the helical PPA, accompanied by a dramatic decrease in the column diameter and a decrease in the pi-stacking correlation length along the column. A model for the right-handed helical dendronized PPA has been proposed wherein dendrons from adjacent column strata interdigitate to effectively fill space.     

Helical poly(phenylacetylene) derived from L‐tyrosine: A promising candidate for functional helical polymers carrying transformable N‐ and C‐termini

A novel optically active phenylacetylene derivative, N‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐4‐ethynyl‐L ‐phenylalanine methyl ester ( 1 ), was synthesized from L ‐tyrosine and polymerized with a rhodium catalyst. The corresponding polymer [poly( 1 )] with a moderate molecular weight was obtained in a high yield. The alkaline hydrolysis of poly( 1 ) gave poly[N‐(tert‐butoxycarbonyl)‐4‐ethynyl‐L ‐phenylalanine] [poly( 2 )] carrying free carboxy groups. Polarimetric, CD, and UV–vis spectroscopy analyses revealed that poly( 1 ) took a predominantly one‐handed helical structure in MeOH and toluene, and poly( 2 ) took a helical structure in MeOH. The secondary structures of poly( 1 ) and poly( 2 ) could be tuned with heat and solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1691–1698, 2007     

旋光性聚{(+)-甲基丙烯酸-2,5-二[4′-((S)-2-甲基丁氧基)苯基]苄酯}的合成与表征

设计、合成了一个带有横挂三联苯侧基的手性乙烯基单体——(+)-甲基丙烯酸-2,5-二[4′-((S)-2-甲基丁氧基)苯基]苄酯,进行了普通自由基和原子转移自由基聚合反应.所得聚合物具有比单体低30°左右的比旋光度,且在侧基的紫外吸收处呈现明显不同于单体的Cotton效应,说明其主链可能形成了具有相反旋光方向的螺旋构象.在所研究范围内,聚合条件对聚合物的旋光度没有明显的影响.在分子量较小时,聚合物的比旋光度随着分子量的增加而降低,说明主链螺旋构象的贡献在增大,而当分子量达到一定值后,聚合物的比旋光度不再随分子量的增加而显著变化.     

Temperature‐Induced Chiroptical Changes in a Helical Poly(phenylacetylene) Bearing N,N‐Diisopropylaminomethyl Groups with Chiral Acids in Water

A stereoregular poly(phenylacetylene) bearing an N,N‐diisopropylaminomethyl group as the pendant (poly‐ 1 ) changed its structure into the prevailing one‐handed helical conformation upon complexation with optically active acids in water. The complexes exhibited induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the UV/Vis region of the polymer backbone. Poly‐ 1 is highly sensitive to the chirality of chiral acids and can detect a small enantiomeric imbalance in these acids, in particular, phenyl lactic acid in water. For example, a 0.005 % enantiomeric excess of phenyl lactic acid can be detected by CD spectroscopy. The observed ICD intensity and pattern of poly‐ 1 were dependent on the temperature and concentration of poly‐ 1 , probably due to aggregations of the polymer at high temperature as revealed by dynamic light scattering and AFM. On the basis of the temperature‐dependent ICD changes, the preferred chiral helical sense of poly‐ 1 was found to be controlled by noncovalent bonding interactions by using structurally different enantiomeric acids.     

Mechanism of helix induction on a stereoregular Poly((4-carboxyphenyl)acetylene) with chiral amines and memory of the macromolecular helicity assisted by interaction with achiral amines

Cis-transoidal poly((4-carboxyphenyl)acetylene) (poly-1) is an optically inactive polymer but forms an induced one-handed helical structure upon complexation with optically active amines such as (R)-(1-(1-naphthyl)ethyl)amine ((R)-2) in DMSO. The complexes show a characteristic induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the UV-visible region of the polymer backbone. Moreover, the macromolecular helicity of poly-1 induced by (R)-2 can be "memorized" even after complete replacement of (R)-2 by various achiral amines. We now report fully detailed studies on the mechanism of the helicity induction and memory of the helical chirality of poly-1 by means of UV-visible, CD, and infrared spectroscopies. We have found that a one-handed helix is cooperatively induced on poly-1 upon the ion pair formation of the carboxy groups of poly-1 with optically active amines and that the bulkiness of the chiral amines plays a crucial role for inducing an excess of a single-handed helix. On the other hand, the free ion formation was found to be essential for the macromolecular helicity memory of poly-1 after the replacement of the chiral amine by achiral amines, since the intramolecular electrostatic repulsion between the neighboring carboxylate ions of poly-1 significantly contributes to reduce the atropisomerization process of poly-1. On the basis of the mechanism of helicity induction and the memory of the helical chirality drawn from the present studies, we succeeded in creating an almost perfect memory of the induced macromolecular helicity of poly-1 with (R)-2 by using 2-aminoethanol as an achiral chaperoning molecule to assist in maintaining the memory of helical chirality.     

Recyclable helical poly(phenylacetylene)‐supported catalyst for asymmetric aldol reaction in aqueous media

A novel one‐handed helical poly(phenylacetylene) bearing L‐hydroxyproline pendants (poly(PA‐P)) was synthesized as an eco‐friendly polymer‐supported catalyst for asymmetric reactions. The helical poly(PA‐P) catalyzed the asymmetric aldol reactions of cyclohexanone with p‐nitrobenzaldehyde, and showed good recyclability and higher enantiomeric excess (ee) in aqueous medias than that in organic medias. The one‐handed helicity of poly(PA‐P) was clearly affected by the water content in the aqueous media. The helical poly(PA‐P) showed the higher enantioselectivity (ee = 99%) than its monomer PA‐P (ee = 54%) in THF/H₂O (H₂O vol % = 25.0 vol %). After the one‐handed helical structure of poly(PA‐P) was destroyed by grinding treatment, the ee of the reaction clearly decreased from 99 to 49%. These indicate that the one‐handed helical structure of poly(PA‐P) played an important role in the high enantioselectivity of the asymmetric aldol reactions in the aqueous media. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 1024–1031     

Chirality sensing of chiral pyrrolidines and piperazines with a liquid crystalline dynamic helical poly(phenylacetylene) bearing ethyl phosphonate pendant groups

Stereoregular cis‐transoidal poly(phenylacetylene) bearing a phosphonic acid monoethyl ester as the pendant group (poly‐ 1 ‐H) was found to form a preferred‐handed helix upon complexation with various optically active pyrrolidines and piperazines in dilute dimethyl sulfoxide and water, and the complexes exhibited characteristic induced circular dichroisms (ICDs) in the UV‐vis region of the polymer backbone. The Cotton effect signs in water reflect the absolute configuration of the pyrrolidines. The sodium salt of poly‐ 1 ‐H (poly‐ 1 ‐Na) and poly‐ 1 ‐H in the presence of optically active amines formed lyotropic nematic and cholesteric liquid crystalline phases in concentrated water solutions, respectively, indicating the rigid‐rod characteristic of the polymer main chain regardless of the lack of a single‐handed helix, as evidenced by the long persistence length of about 18 nm before and after the preferred‐handed helicity induction in the polymer. X‐ray diffraction of the oriented films of the nematic and cholesteric liquid crystalline polymers exhibited almost the same diffraction pattern, suggesting that both polymers have the same helical structure; dynamically racemic and one‐handed helices, respectively. On the basis of the X‐ray analysis, a possible helical structure of poly‐ 1 is proposed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1383–1390, 2010     

Helical polyacetylenes carrying 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy and 2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1‐pyrrolidinyloxy moieties: Their synthesis,properties, and function

2,2,6,6‐Tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)‐ and 2,2,5,5‐tetramethyl‐1‐pyrrolidinyloxy (PROXYL)‐containing (R)‐1‐methylpropargyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 1 ), (R)‐1‐methylpropargyl PROXYL‐3‐carboxylate ( 2 ), (rac)‐1‐methylpropargyl PROXYL‐3‐carboxylate ( 3 ), (S)‐1‐propargylcarbamoylethyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 4 ), and (S)‐1‐propargyloxycarbonylethyl TEMPO‐4‐carboxylate ( 5 ) (TEMPO, PROXYL) were polymerized to afford novel polymers containing the TEMPO and PROXYL radicals at high densities. Monomers 1–3 and 5 provided polymers with moderate number‐average molecular weights of 8200–140,900 in 49–97% yields in the presence of (nbd)Rh⁺[η⁶‐C₆H₅B^?(C₆H₅)₃], whereas 4 gave no polymer with this catalyst but gave polymers possessing low M_n (3800–7500) in 56–61% yield with [(nbd)RhCl]₂‐Et₃N. Poly( 1 ), poly( 2 ), and poly( 4 ) took a helical structure with predominantly one‐handed screw sense in THF and CHCl₃ as well as in film state. The helical structure of poly( 1 ) and poly( 2 ) was stable upon heating and addition of MeOH, whereas poly( 4 ) was responsive to heat and solvents. All of the free radical‐containing polymers displayed the reversible charge/discharge processes, whose capacities were in a range of 43.2–112 A h/kg. In particular, the capacities of poly( 2 )–poly( 5 )‐based cells reached about 90–100% of the theoretical values regardless of the secondary structure of the polymer, helix and random. Poly( 1 ), poly( 2 ), and poly( 4 ) taking a helical structure exhibited better capacity tolerance towards the increase of current density than nonhelical poly( 3 ) and poly( 5 ) did. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5431–5445, 2007     

Influence of stereoregularity and linkage groups on chiral recognition of poly(phenylacetylene) derivatives bearing L‐leucine ethyl ester pendants as chiral stationary phases for HPLC

Stereoregular poly(phenylacetylene) derivatives bearing L ‐leucine ethyl ester pendants, poly‐1 and poly‐2a , were, respectively, synthesized by the polymerization of N‐(4‐ethynylphenylcarbamoyl)‐L ‐leucine ethyl ester ( 1 ) and N‐(4‐ethynylphenyl‐carbonyl)‐L ‐leucine ethyl ester ( 2 ) using Rh(nbd)BPh₄ as a catalyst, while stereoirregular poly‐2b was synthesized by solid‐state thermal polymerization of 2 . Their chiral recognition abilities for nine racemates were evaluated as chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after coating them on silica gel. Both poly‐1 and poly‐2a with a helical conformation showed their characteristic recognition depending on coating solvents and the linkage groups between poly(phenylacetylene) and L ‐leucine ethyl ester pendants. Poly‐2a with a shorter amide linkage showed higher chiral recognition than poly‐1 with a longer urea linkage. Coating solvents played an important role in the chiral recognition of both poly‐1 and poly‐2a due to the different conformation of the polymer main chains induced by the solvents. A few racemates were effectively resolved on the poly‐2a coated with a MeOH/CHCl₃ (3/7, v/v) mixture. The separation factors for these racemates were comparable to those obtained on the very popular CSPs derived from polysaccharide phenylcarbamates. Stereoirregular poly‐2b exhibited much lower chiral recognition than the corresponding stereoregular, helical poly‐2a , suggesting that the regular structure of poly(phenylacetylene) main chains is essential to attain high chiral recognition. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Helicity Induction and Memory of the Macromolecular Helicity in a Polyacetylene Bearing a Biphenyl Pendant

A novel, cis‐transoidal poly‐(phenylacetylene) bearing a carboxybiphenyl group as the pendant (poly‐ 1 ) was prepared by polymerization of (4′‐ethoxycarbonyl‐4‐biphenylyl)acetylene with a rhodium catalyst followed by hydrolysis of the ester groups. Upon complexation with various chiral amines and amino alcohols in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the polymer exhibited characteristic induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the UV/Vis region due to the predominantly one‐handed helix formation of the polymer backbone as well as an excess of a single‐handed, axially twisted conformation of the pendant biphenyl group. Poly‐ 1 complexed with (R)‐2‐amino‐1‐propanol showed unique time‐dependent inversion of the macromolecular helicity. Furthermore, the preferred‐handed helical conformation of poly‐ 1 induced by a chiral amine was further “memorized” after the chiral amine was replaced with achiral 2‐aminoethanol or n‐butylamine in DMSO. In sharp contrast to the previously reported memory in poly((4‐carboxyphenyl)acetylene), the present helicity memory of poly‐ 1 was accompanied by memory of the twisted biphenyl chirality in the pendants. Unprecedentedly, the helicity memory of poly‐ 1 with achiral 2‐aminoethanol was found to occur simultaneously with inversion of the axial chirality of the biphenyl groups followed by memory of the inverted biphenyl chirality, thus showing a significant change in the CD spectral pattern.     

Fluorine-containing poly(vinyl alcohol): A helix or a random coil

Substitution of several mole per cent of the hydroxyl groups of poly(vinyl alcohol) by fluorine results in marked changes in polymer properties. These fluoro poly(vinyl alcohols) (PVAF) form thermally reversible gels in water at low polymer concentrations. In solution, a helical conformation or a random coil containing helical sequences is more in accord with the experimental observations than the random coil structure of poly(vinyl alcohol). This helical hypothesis is supported by high heats of crosslinking of the aqueous thermally reversible gels, the difficult solubility of PVAF in H₂O, the insolubility of the PVAF–iodine complex under conditions where the PVA–iodine complex remains soluble, the temperature-independent high value for the Huggins k ′ slope constant, the greater stability of the PVAF–iodine complex, the shear dependence of the solution viscosity and our inability to form thermally reversible gels by the introduction of fluorine into other water-soluble polymers which are capable of hydrogen bond formation. Infrared dichroism and deuteration measurements do not differentiate between PVA and PVAF. If this conclusion is correct, PVAF is the first vinyl polymer of which we are aware that maintains a helical conformation in solution.     

Meta-linked poly(phenylene ethynylene) conjugated polyelectrolyte featuring a chiral side group: helical folding and guest binding

A water soluble, meta-linked poly(phenylene ethynylene) featuring chiral and optically active side groups based on L-alanine (mPPE-Ala) has been studied by using absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Studies of mPPE-Ala in methanol/water solvent mixtures show that the polymer folds into a helical conformation, and the extent of helical folding increases with the volume % water in the solvent. The presence of the helical conformation is signaled by the appearance of a broad, excimer-like visible fluorescence band, combined with a strong bisignate circular dichroism signal in the region of the pi,pi absorption of the polymer backbone. The circular dichroism signal exhibits negative chirality, suggesting that the left-handed (M-form) of the helix is in enantiomeric excess. Binding of the metallointercalator [Ru(bpy)2(dppz)]2+ (where bpy = 2,2-bipyridine and dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) with the helical polymer is accompanied by the appearance of the orange-red photoluminescence from the metal complex. This effect is directly analogous to that observed when [Ru(bpy)2(dppz)]2+ binds to DNA via intercalation, suggesting that the metal complex binds to mPPE-Ala by intercalating between the pi-stacked phenylene ethynylene residues. Cationic cyanine dyes also bind to the periphery of the helical polymer in a manner that is interpreted as "groove binding". A circular dichroism signal is observed that is believed to arise from exciton coupling within the chiral cyanine dye chromophore aggregate that is formed as the dye molecules are oriented by the helical mPPE-Ala "template".     

Supramolecular helical assembly of an achiral cyanine dye in an induced helical amphiphilic poly(phenylacetylene) interior in water

A water-soluble amphiphilic poly(phenylacetylene) bearing the bulky aza-18-crown-6-ether pendants forms a one-handed helix induced by l- or d-amino acids and chiral amino alcohols through specific host-guest interactions in water. We now report that such an induced helical poly(phenylacetylene) with a controlled helix sense can selectively trap an achiral benzoxazole cyanine dye among various structurally similar cyanine dyes within its hydrophobic helical cavity inside the polymer in acidic water, resulting in the formation of supramolecular helical aggregates, which exhibit an induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the cyanine dye chromophore region. The supramolecular chirality induced in the cyanine aggregates could be further memorized when the template helical polymer lost its optical activity and further inverted into the opposite helicity. Thereafter, thermal racemization of the helical aggregates slowly took place.     

Studies on the Conformation of Poly(1-naphthol) Assembled by Horseradish Peroxidase in Aqueous Micelle

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Chiral discrimination of a helically organized crown ether array parallel to the helix axis of polyisocyanate

The asymmetric polymerization of 4′‐isocyanatobenzo‐18‐crown‐6 with the lithium amide of (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine successfully proceeded to afford end‐functionalized poly(4′‐isocyanatobenzo‐18‐crown‐6) with (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine (polymer 2 ). In the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of 2 , a clear positive Cotton effect was observed in the range of 240–350 nm corresponding to the absorption of the polymer backbone, indicating that 2 partially formed a one‐handed helical structure, which was preserved by the chirality of (S)‐(2‐methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine bonding to the terminal end in 2 . In the titration experiments for the CD intensity of 2 in the presence of D ‐ and L ‐Phe·HClO₄ (where Phe is phenylalanine), a small but remarkable difference was observed in the amount of the chiral guest needed for saturation of the CD intensity and in the saturated CD intensity, indicating that the extremely stable, one‐handed helical part should exist in the main chain of 2 , which was not inverted even when the unfavorable chiral guest for the predominant helical sense, L ‐Phe·HClO₄, was added. In addition, helical polymer 2 exhibited a chiral discrimination ability toward racemic guests; that is, the guests were extracted from the aqueous phase into the organic phase with enantiomeric excess. The driving force of the chiral discrimination ability of 2 should certainly be attributed to the one‐handed helical structure in 2 . © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 325–334, 2006     

Solvent- and pH-induced self-assembly of cationic meta-linked poly(phenylene ethynylene): effects of helix formation on amplified fluorescence quenching and Förster resonance energy transfer

We reported here the synthesis and characterization of a novel water-soluble, meta-linked poly(phenylene ethynylene) (m-PPE-NEt(2)Me(+)) featuring quaternized side groups. We studied the solvent-induced self-assembly of m-PPE-NEt(2)Me(+) in MeOH/H(2)O solvent mixtures by using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. The results showed that the polymer folded into a helical conformation and that the extent of helical folding increased with the volume % water in the solvent. This cationic polymer also exhibited unique pH-induced helix formation, which was attributed to the partial neutralization of quaternized side groups at high pH and the meta-links in the main chain of the polymer. Studies on the fluorescence quenching of m-PPE-NEt(2)Me(+) by anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQS) and Fe(CN)(6)(4-), two small-molecule anionic quenchers with different typical structures, revealed more efficient quenching of helical conformation by AQS than by Fe(CN)(6)(4-). We proposed that the two quenchers most likely interacted with the polymer helix in two different modes; that was, AQS featuring large planar aromatic ring could intercalate within adjacent π-stacked phenylene ethynylene units in the polymer helix, whereas Fe(CN)(6)(4-) mainly bound to the periphery of polymer helix through ion-pair formation. Finally, the results of FRET from the helical polymer to the fluorescein (C*)-labeled polyanions, ssDNA-C* (ssDNA: single-stranded DNA) and dsDNA-C* (dsDNA: double-stranded DNA) also suggested two different modes of interactions. As compared with the FRET to dsDNA-C*, the FRET to ssDNA-C* was slightly more efficient, which was believed to arise from the additional binding of ssDNA-C* with the polymer via intercalation of its exposed hydrophobic bases into the π stack of adjacent phenylene ethynylene units in the polymer helix.     

Switching of macromolecular helicity of optically active poly(phenylacetylene)s bearing cyclodextrin pendants induced by various external stimuli

A series of novel phenylacetylenes bearing optically active cyclodextrin (CyD) residues such as alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CyD and permethylated beta-CyD residues as the pendant groups was synthesized and polymerized with a rhodium catalyst to give highly cis-transoidal poly(phenylacetylene)s, poly-1alpha, poly-2beta, poly-3gamma, and poly-2beta-Me, respectively. The polymers exhibited an induced circular dichroism (CD) in the UV-visible region of the polymer backbones, resulting from the prevailing one-handed helical conformations. The Cotton effect signs were inverted in response to external chiral and achiral stimuli, such as temperature, solvent, and interactions with chiral or achiral guest molecules. The inversion of the Cotton effect signs was accompanied by a color change due to a conformational change, such as inversion of the helicity of the polymer backbones with a different twist angle of the conjugated double bonds, that was readily visible with the naked eye and could be quantified by absorption and CD spectroscopies. The dynamic helical conformations of poly-2beta showing opposite Cotton effect signs in different solvents could be further fixed by intramolecular cross-linking between the hydroxy groups of the neighboring beta-CyD units in each solvent. The cross-link between the pendant CyD units suppressed the inversion of the helicity; therefore, the cross-linked poly-2betas showed no Cotton effect inversion, although the polymer backbones were still flexible enough to alter their helical pitch with the same handedness, resulting in a color change depending on the degree of intramolecular cross-linking.     

Solvent‐induced helical conformation observed from a conjugated polymer poly(N‐octylcarbazole ethylene)

The formation of a cylinder‐like helical conformation induced by solvation was observed from a conjugated polymer poly(N‐octylcarbazole ethylene). The polymer was synthesized by McMurry condensation using N‐octyl‐3,6‐diformylcarbazole as monomer, in which the alkylcarbazolyl group was functioned as a turn angle. IR analysis indicated that the double bond in the polymer chain mainly takes a cis‐ conformation. Computer simulation revealed that the polymer could form into a hollow tubular nano‐structure with a cavity of less than 1 nm in diameter by folding its strand. The helical conformation formed by solvent induction was further proved by the measurements of circular dichroism (CD) spectrum, specific rotatory power and fluorescent (FL) spectra. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis of stable and soluble one-handed helical homopoly(substituted acetylene)s without the coexistence of any other chiral moieties via two-step polymer reactions in membrane state: molecular design of the starting monomer

A soluble and stable one-handed helical poly(substituted phenylacetylene) without the coexistence of any other chiral moieties was successfully synthesized by asymmetric-induced polymerization of a chiral monomer followed by two-step polymer reactions in membrane state: (1) removing the chiral groups (desubstitution); and (2) introduction of achiral long alkyl groups at the same position as the desubstitution to enhance the solubility of the resulting one-handed helical polymer (resubstitution). The starting chiral monomer should have four characteristic substituents: (i) a chiral group bonded to an easily hydrolyzed spacer group; (ii) two hydroxyl groups; (iii) a long rigid hydrophobic spacer between the chiral group and the polymerizing group; (iv) a long achiral group near the chiral group. As spacer group a carbonate ester was selected. The two hydroxyl groups formed intramolecular hydrogen bonds stabilizing a one-handed helical structure in solution before and after the two-step polymer reactions in membrane state. The rigid long hydrophobic spacer, a phenylethynylphenyl group, enhanced the solubility of the starting polymer, and realized effective chiral induction from the chiral side groups to the main chain in the asymmetric-induced polymerization. The long alkyl group near the chiral group avoided shrinkage of the membrane and kept the reactivity of resubstitution in membrane state after removing the chiral groups. The g value (g = ([θ]/3,300)/ε) for the CD signal assigned to the main chain in the obtained final polymer was almost the same as that of the starting polymer in spite of the absence of any other chiral moieties. Moreover, since the one-handed helical structure was maintained by the intramolecular hydrogen bonds in a solution, direct observation of the one-handed helicity of the final homopolymer has been realized in CD for the solution for the first time.