| Abstract: | The objective of this project was to utilize the alternating copolymerizability of electrondonor monomers with electron-acceptor monomers to selectively introduce nucleic acid bases into copolymers in a controlled sequence distribution. To this end, maleimide monomers containing the adenine, thymine, cytosine, and 6-chloropurine moieties were converted to their hompolymers. The homopolymer of 1-(vinyloxyethoxy)thymine was also prepared. Alternating copolymers of the adenine maleimide monomer and the corresponding 6-chloropurine maleimide monomer with 1-(vinyloxyethoxy)thymine were prepared. The latter copolymer was converted to the alternating adenine–thymine copolymer by reaction with ammonia. Characterization of the polymers and copolymers via spectroscopic methods and physical measurements confirm their proposed structures. Monomer syntheses and characterization, as well as studies designed to establish the extent and nature of adenine–thymine interactions in the copolymers, are reported in accompanying papers. |
