Cross-linking dendrimers with allyl ether end-groups using the ring-closing metathesis reaction

A third generation Frechet-type dendrimer containing 24 allyl ether end-groups was synthesized, cross-linked using the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction, and the core was removed hydrolytically without significant fragmentation. The results are analogous to those previously reported for homoallyl ether dendrimers (Wendland, M. S.; Zimmerman, S. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 1389-1390) suggesting that the less readily available homoallyl ether dendrimers can be replaced by their allyl ethers analogues in a range of applications.