Advantages of Polymer Reagents, Catalysts, and Substrates

The advantages of functional polymers are best realized when used in two situations— multistep sequential reactions and automated parallel combinatorial synthesis to produce libraries of compounds. In both situations there is a large savings in the time and expense of carrying out the many chemical reactions and their corresponding handling and purification steps. 

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is extensively used as a soluble polymer support. It is a low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) with hydroxyl groups at both chain ends. The terminal hydoxyl groups allow for attachment of a wide range of other functional groups that 

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