Reactivity of ester groups on insoluble polymer supports

A study was made of the comparative rates of reaction of active ester functional groups (p-nitrophenyl and 2,4-dinitrophenyl esters) situated on three types of insoluble support polymers and on small, soluble analogs of the polymer molecules. The supports consisted of a styrene—divinylbenzene bead-type polymer (2% DVB), a styrene—divinylbenzene popcorn polymer (0.2% DVB), and a popcorn polymer with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and substituted styrene units in the chain. p-Nitrophenyl benzoate and 2,4-dinitrophenyl p-isopropylbenzoate were used as soluble analogs. Rates of aminolysis by small molecules (2-aminoethanol and n-tetradecylamine) in pyridine and of solvolysis in alcohols catalyzed by both small (N-methylimidazole) and large (polyvinylimidazole) molecules were determined. With the small amines, finely divided particles of popcorn and bead type styrene polymers reacted at about the same rate, which was approximately 1/5 the rate of reaction of the homogeneous analogs. With a high molecular weight reagent, polyvinylimidazole, the heterogeneous reactions were much slower and the popcorn polymer reacted faster than the bead polymer. In catalyzed solvolyses, the styrene popcorn derivative reacted faster in benzyl alcohol and slower in 1-hexanol than the dimethylbutadiene popcorn polymer derivatives.     

Reactivity of polymer substituents. II. Aminolysis of p-nitrophenyl acrylate copolymers with acrylamide or N,N-dimethylacrylamide in aqueous solution

Rates of the benzylaminolysis of acrylamide and dimethylacrylamide copolymers with a small amount of p-nitrophenyl acrylate in water solution were compared with the analogous reaction of p-nitrophenyl isobutyrate. Rates of the dimethylacrylamide copolymer and analog were also measured in methanol. The copolymer reactions were much slower than those of the analog, in contrast with results obtained in dioxane. It was found that the reaction of the analog is much more sensitive to the medium than the reaction of the polymer, because the “effective solvent medium” in the polymer domain is largely determined by properties of the polymer chain backbone.     

Reactivity of polymeric amines toward peptide bond formation-aminolysis of poly(aminoacrylamide)s by N-benzoylglycine 4-nitrophenyl ester

Polymeric amines derived from copolymers of acrylamide (AA) cross-linked with bifunctional crosslinking agents of varying polarity and hydrophilicity were studied for their reactivity in the aminolysis of N-benzoylglycine 4-nitrophenyl ester. The reaction did not follow simple kinetics. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

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.     

Alternating copolymerization of methyl acrylate with donor monomers having a protected amine group

Attempts were made to copolymerize p-aminostyrene, p-acetamidostyrene, N-methyl-p-aceta-midostyrene, N-(4-vinylphenyl) phthalimide, N-vinyl succinimide, and N-vinyl phthalimide with methyl acrylate complexed with ethyl aluminum sesquichloride. Only reactions involving N-(4-vinylphenyl)phthalimide and N-vinyl phthalimide yielded alternating copolymers. N-vinyl succinimide gave nonalternating copolymers insoluble in common solvents and the other monomers did not copolymerize. In some cases, the conventional radical copolymers were prepared for comparison purposes. The reactivity ratios of the free-radical initiated copolymerization of methyl acrylate (I) with N-(4-vinylphenyl)phthalimide (II) were r₁ = 0.14 and r₂ 1.56. The alternating copolymers were studied by ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The alternating copolymer of N-(4-vinylphenyl)phthalimide with methyl acrylate was hydrazinolyzed to form the alternating copolymer of methyl acrylate with p-aminostyrene. Hydrazinolysis of the alternating copolymer of methyl acrylate with N-vinyl phthalimide removed the phthalimide moiety and generated vinyl amine units which readily cyclized with neighboring methyl acrylate units to form copolymers that contained five-membered lactam rings. The infrared (IR) spectra of the hydrazinolyzed products contain bands due to amine or amide groups and are devoid of the characteristic bands of the phthalimide ring.     

Synthesis of polyamides from active 2-benzothiazolyl dithiolesters and diamines under mild conditions

Novel examples were presented of the use in polyamide synthesis of active 2-benzothiazolyl dithiolesters for which aminolysis is assisted by a neighboring group. Solution polycondensation of new dithiolesters, 2,2′-(adipoyldithio)bisbenzothiazole and 2,2′-(isophtahloyldithio)bisbenzothiazole, with both aliphatic and aromatic diamines in polar aprotic solvents (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and hexamethylphosphoramide) took place rapidly at room temperature yielding polyamides with high molecular weight. The interfacial polycondensation in a chloroform–water system was also successful for polyamide formation. S,S′-Di-p-nitrophenyl dithioisophthalate reacted much more slowly toward diamines than the 2-benzothiazolyl dithiolesters. Prior to polymer synthesis, the aminolysis of active monothiolesters was carried out as a model compound study.     

Polymeric arylsulfonylnitromethane: A novel polymer reagent

p-Vinylphenylsulfonylnitromethane ( 3 ) was synthesized by the reaction of sodium p-styrenesulfinate with nitromethane. Free radical copolymerizations of 3 with styrene and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone provided soluble copolymers. Conversions of RCH₂X (X = Br, OAc) with the copolymers as reagents proceeded in a different manner from the corresponding lowmolecular-weight compound, phenylsulfonylnitromethane, to afford RCOOH in addition to the expected RCH₂CH₂NO₂ and RCH₂COOH; no nitriles were formed.     

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.     

Ultrathin self-assembled polymeric films on solid surfaces. I. Synthesis and characterization of acrylate copolymers containing alkyl disulfide side chains

Copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and 2-methoxyethyl acrylate with variable compositions were synthesized, fractionated, and characterized by ¹H-NMR, IR, GPC, and viscometry. These copolymers were further modified via polymer analog esterification of copolymer hydroxy groups by a series of disulfide-containing carboxylic acids including lipoic acid and (n-pentyldithio) alkyl carboxylic acids (n-C₅H₁₁SS(CH₂)m? COOH, m = 10, 15, 22) in the presence of 1,3-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC). Esterification reactions were quantitative for copolymers possessing hydroxy monomer contents ≤ 40% when excess acid and DCC were present for sufficiently long reaction times (2–4 days) at room temperature. Copolymer DSC analysis demonstrates a systematic variation of T_g with copolymer composition in good agreement with ideal mixing theory. These disulfide-bearing copolymers spontaneously yield two-dimensional ultrathin polymer films with side chain-dependent layer thicknesses of 20–45 Å by solution adsorption onto freshly deposited gold surfaces. Such ultrathin polymer films are expected to have diverse applications as bound polymeric surface modification reagents. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Studies of some bioactive N-p-methacrylamidobenzoic esters

Preparations of four typical bioactive esters of N-p-methacrylamidobenzoic monomers and their reactive polymers as immobilized trypsin carriers are described. N-p-methacrylamidobenzoic active ester monomers containing ? COONB, ? COOSu, ? COOObt, or ? COOBT group can react with an aliphatic amine such as benzylamine at room temperature to give an identical product, N-benzyl-p-methacrylamidobenzamide. However, only monomers with ? COOObt or ? COOBT group can also react with an aromatic amine such as aniline to give N-phenyl-p-methacrylamidobenzamide. These monmoers polymerized readily in solution with azobisisobutyronitrile as free-radical initiator; the polymers were used to immobilize trypsin. Among the four different active esters for the immobilization of trypsin, thE HONB and HOSu active ester showed rather higher bioactivities than the HOObt or HOBT active ester under the same conditions. Both P(MABONB)-trypsin and P(MABOSu)-trypsin matrices possess higher biological activities by about four or three times that of P(MABOObt)-trypsin or P(MABOBT)-trypsin matrices, respectively. It is proposed that these rather high bioactivities may be attributed to the “specific” aminolysis of reactive polymer with ? COONB or ? COOSu active ester group by aliphatic amino substituents.     

Conformational and neighboring effects in graft polymerization of acrolein onto imidazole-containing polymer

The graft polymerizations of acrolein (AL) onto an imidazole (Im)-containing polymer, such as a homopolymer of 4(5)-vinylimidazole (VIm) and several copolymers of VIm-methyl vinyl ketone, VIm-butyl acrylate, and VIm-2-ethyl hexyl acrylate, have been kinetically carried out in ethanol-water mixture at 0°C. The graft polymerization rate R_p and the degree of graft polymerization increased with increasing concentration of water in the solvent. Moreover, the R_p of the copolymer system having the hydrophobic group as the side chain decreased in comparison with the homopolymer system. Polymerizations of AL in the presence of propionamide or poly-acrylamide (AAm) induced by Im were also kinetically carried out in ethanol-water mixture. The R_p was also affected by the conformational change of poly-AAm. These results were discussed by assuming the conformation of the parent polymer in ethanol-water mixture.     

Preparation of a thermally phase-separating copolymer,poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N-acryloxysuccinimide), with a controlled number of active esters per polymer chain

N-isopropylacrylamide and N-acryloxysuccinimide have been copolymerized in various mixtures of terrahydrofuran and toluene using azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. Polymerization has been conducted for 24 h at 50°C under a slightly positive pressure of nitrogen. The copolymers were assayed for active ester content by measuring the UV absorbance (259 nm) of N-hydroxysuccinimide anion, generated by reacting the copolymers with N-isopropylamine in dimethylformamide and dissolving the resulting mixture in 0.1M HEPES buffer, pH 7.5. The molecular weight and its distribution have been estimated by gel permeation chromatography. The active ester content was found to be equivalent to the comonomer feed ratio, and the major factor controlling the molecular weight was the ratio of tetrahydrofuran to toluene. Thus, the number of active esters per polymer chain could be controlled by adjustment of the comonomer feed ratio and the ratio of tetrahydrofuran to toluene. Monomer reactivity ratios for copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide with N-acryloxysuccinimide were also estimated. These copolymers are useful for immobilizing binding ligands such as antibodies for subsequent thermally induced precipitation immunoassays and bioseparation processes.     

Amphiphilic copolymers with increased affinity for substrates

The copolymers of methyl quaternized 2-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate and styrene, 2-vinyl naphthalene, acrylic acid iso-octyl ester, or acrylic acid n-butyl ester have been prepared. Studies were made of the binding of a “binding probe,” methyl orange, by the copolymers in aqueous solution. The first binding constants and the thermodynamic parameters in the course of the binding were evaluated. Furthermore, the intensity of fluorescence of a hydrophobic fluorescent probe, 2-p-toluidinylnaphthalene-6-sulfonate, in the presence of these polymers was investigated. In addition, the fluorescence spectra of monomer and excimer emissions of the polymers with aromatic residues were measured. The excimer/monomer fluorescence intensity ratio was studied in the presence of various additives such as methyl orange, urea, methanol, and NaCl to gain an insight into the nature of microdomains in the polymer. The nature and phenomena of dye binding and hydrophobic fluorescent probe binding with the polymers are discussed. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Quelques precisions sur les effets catalytiques des micelles cationiques hydroxylees

The alkaline hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate and of CH₃CO₂(CH₂)₂N⁺(CH₃)₂C₁₆H₃₃, Br^? was studied in the presence of micelles C₁₆H₃₃N⁺(CH₃)₂CH₂CH₂OH, Br^? and CTAB, C₁₆H₃₃N⁺(CH₃)₃,Br^?. A pathway involving an intermediate is suggested for the hydrolysis of the ester. Hydrolysis rate of the intermediate in the presence of micelles is the same as hydrolysis rate for the ester in the absence of micelles. Consequently, hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate is not catalysed by one type of micelle, while it is enhanced by another type of micelle.     

Quadruple click reactions for the synthesis of cysteine‐terminated linear multiblock copolymers

Synthesis of cysteine‐terminated linear polystyrene (PS)‐b‐poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/or poly(tert‐butyl acrylate)(PtBA)‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymers was carried out using sequential quadruple click reactions including thiol‐ene, copper‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), Diels–Alder, and nitroxide radical coupling (NRC) reactions. N‐acetyl‐L ‐cysteine methyl ester was first clicked with α‐allyl‐ω‐azide‐terminated PS via thiol‐ene reaction to create α‐cysteine‐ω‐azide‐terminated PS. Subsequent CuAAC reaction with PCL, followed by the introduction of the PMMA/or PtBA and PEG blocks via Diels–Alder and NRC, respectively, yielded final cysteine‐terminated multiblock copolymers. By ¹H NMR spectroscopy, the DP_ns of the blocks in the final multiblock copolymers were found to be close to those of the related polymer precursors, indicating that highly efficient click reactions occurred for polymer–polymer coupling. Successful quadruple click reactions were also confirmed by gel permeation chromatography. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Using the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer process to synthesize core‐crosslinked micelles

Poly(2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate)–poly(n‐butyl acrylate) block copolymers were synthesized with the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process. The block copolymers were synthesized successfully with either poly(2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate) or poly(n‐butyl acrylate) macro‐RAFT agents. The resulting block copolymers had narrow molecular weight distributions (polydispersity index = 1.3–1.4). Copolymer self‐aggregation in water yielded micelles, with the hydrodynamic diameter (D_h) values of the aggregates dependent on the length of both blocks according to D_h ～ N_BA^1.17N_HEA^0.57, where N_BA is the number of repeating units of n‐butyl acrylate and N_HEA is the number of repeating units of 2‐hydroxyethyl acrylate. The micelles were subsequently stabilized via chain extension of the block copolymer with a crosslinking agent. The successful chain extension in a micellar system was confirmed by an increase in the molecular weight, which was detected with membrane osmometry. The crosslinked particles showed noticeably different aggregation behavior in diverse solvent systems. The uncrosslinked micelles formed by the block copolymer (N_HEA = 260, N_BA = 75) displayed a definite critical micelle concentration at 5.4 × 10^?4 g L^?1 in aqueous solutions. However, upon crosslinking, the critical micelle concentration transition became obscure. © 2006Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2177–2194, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of poly (n-butyl acrylate)-poly (methyl methacrylate) latex interpenetrating polymer networks by radiation-induced seeded emulsion polymerization

A series of latex interpenetrating polymer networks (LIPNs) were prepared via a two-stage emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) or mixture of MMA and n-butyl acrylate (n-BA) on crosslinked poly(n-butyl acrylate)(PBA) seed latex using ⁶⁰Co γ-ray radiation. The particles of resultant latex were produced with diameters between 150 and 250 nm. FTIR spectra identified the formation of crosslinked copolymers of PMMA or P(MMA-co-BA). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that with increasing n-BA concentration in second-stage monomers, the particle size of LIPN increased. Transmission electron microscope(TEM) photographs showed that the morphology of resultant acrylate interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) latex varied from the distinct core-shell structure to homogenous particle structure with the increase of n-BA concentration, and the morphology was mainly controlled by the miscibility between crosslinked PBA seed and second-stage copolymers and polarity of P(MMA-co-BA)copolymers. In addition, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements indicated the existence of reinforced miscibility between PBA seed and P(MMA-co-BA)copolymer in prepared LIPNs.     

Polymer effect in graft polymerizations of acrolein onto imidazole-containing polymer

The graft polymerizations of acrolein (AL) onto an imidazole (Im)-containing polymer, such as a homopolymer of 4(5)-vinylimidazole (VIm) and several copolymers of VIm-4-vinylpyridine (VPy), VIm-1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VPr), and VIm-styrene (St), have been studied in ethanol at 0°C. The degree of polymerization (P?_n) of the resulting polyacrolein graft depended on the number of Im units in the Im-containing polymer which produced a decrease in P?_n of grafted polyacrolein. The P?_n of the graft polyacrolein was determined to be in the range of 5-23. The rate of polymerization (R_p) was expressed by R_p = k(PVIm) (AL)². The graft polymerizability of the AL was influenced by the comonomer in the parent polymer, and was found to be in the order of VIm homopolymer > VIm-VPr copolymer > VIm-VPy copolymer > VIm-St copolymer. R_p was affected by the functional group around the Im group in the Im-containing polymer. These results were discussed by assuming the conformation of the parent polymer in ethanol.     

Preparation of macromonomers by copolymerization of methyl acrylate dimer involving β fragmentation

The unsaturated dimer of methyl acrylate [CH₂C(CO₂CH₃)CH₂CH₂CO₂CH₃, or MAD] was copolymerized with various monomers to prepare copolymers bearing the ω-unsaturated end group [CH₂C(CO₂CH₃)CH₂ ] arising from β fragmentation of the MAD propagating radical. Copolymerizations of MAD with cyclohexyl and n-butyl acrylate resulted in copolymers with ω-unsaturated end groups, and increasing the temperature up to 180 °C resulted in an increase in the rate of β fragmentation of MAD radicals relative to propagation. Only a small amount of unsaturated end groups was introduced by copolymerization with ethyl methacrylate (EMA), and the EMA content in the copolymer increased with temperature. These findings could be explained by the reversible addition of the poly(EMA) radical to MAD. The copolymerization with ethyl α-ethyl acrylate (EEA) did yield a copolymer containing unsaturated end groups with MAD units as part of the main chain, although the steric hindrance of the ethyl group suppressed homopropagation and crosspropagation of EEA, resulting in low polymerization rates. Therefore, the copolymerization of MAD with acrylic esters at high temperatures was noted as a convenient route for obtaining acrylate–MAD copolymers bearing unsaturated end groups at the ω end (macromonomer). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 597–607, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorine‐containing PAA‐b‐PTPFCBPMA amphiphilic block copolymer

A series of perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) aryl ether‐based amphiphilic diblock copolymers containing hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and fluorophilic poly(p‐(2‐(p‐tolyloxy)perfluorocyclobutoxy)phenyl methacrylate) segments were synthesized via successive atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). 2‐MBP‐initiated and CuBr/N,N,N′,N′,N″‐pentamethyldiethylenetriamine‐catalyzed ATRP homopolymerization of the PFCB‐containing methacrylate monomer, p‐(2‐(p‐tolyloxy)perfluorocyclobutoxy)phenyl methacrylate, can be performed in a controlled mode as confirmed by the fact that the number‐average molecular weights (M_n) increased linearly with the conversions of the monomer while the polydispersity indices kept below 1.38. The block copolymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (M_w/M_n ≤ 1.36) were synthesized by ATRP using Br‐end‐functionalized poly(tert‐butyl acrylate) (PtBA) as macroinitiator followed by the acidolysis of hydrophobic PtBA block into hydrophilic PAA segment. The critical micelle concentrations of the amphiphilic diblock copolymers in different surroundings were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy using N‐phenyl‐1‐naphthylamine as probe. The morphology and size of the micelles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic laser light scattering, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010