Poly(propylene imine) dendrimer complexes of Cu(II), Zn(II), and Co(III) as catalysts of hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl diphenyl phosphate

Poly(propylene imine) dendrimers having 8, 32, and 64 primary amine end groups form diamino Cu(II), diamino Zn(II), and tetramino Co(III) complexes that are identified spectrophotometrically and titrimetrically. The dendrimer–metal ion complexes catalyze the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl diphenyl phosphate in zwitterionic buffer solutions at pH ≤ 8.1 with relative activities Cu(II) > Zn(II) > Co(III). The rates of hydrolysis are faster with sodium perchlorate than with sodium chloride to control ionic strength. In sodium perchlorate solutions with Cu(II) the rates increase with increasing size of the dendrimer. In sodium chloride solutions with Cu(II) the rates decrease with increasing size of the dendrimer. Rate constants in buffered sodium chloride solutions of dendrimers and 1.0mM Cu(II) are 1.3–6.3 times faster than in the absence of Cu(II). The fastest hydrolyses occurred at a dendrimer primary amine to Cu(II) ratio NH₂/Cu ≤ 2. At NH₂/Cu = 4 and with the 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclodecane complex of Cu(II) hydrolysis rates were much slower. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2727–2736, 1999