Dendrimer structure

The cavities in dendrimers are not permanent, but can be redistrubuted as the branches, which can possess considerable degrees of flexibility, move about. The inclusion of guest molecules within a dendrimer may occur as a result of movements in the branches, which allow temporary inclusion of the guest molecule within the dendrimer structure. In solution, it is assumed that molecules of solvent are able to move with ease through the branches of dendrimers, hopping between such temporary cavities with little or no hindrance. When the solvent is removed, the dendrimer may collapse to a distinctly reduced volume. 

In general, dendrimers show sharp M+ signals at the expected values. This confirms the overall dendrimer structure. Mass spectra may be complicated by the presence of small peaks corresponding to two- or three-molecule aggregates bearing a single charge and this phenomenon is... 

Alternatively, the quencher can be directly connected to the dendrimer structure. The photophysical behavior of generation 1,2 (compound 29), and 3 dendrimers containing a free-base porphyrin core and 12, 36, and 108 peripheral anthraquinone units, respectively, was studied in chloroform and dimethylac-... 

Figure 7.2 A graphical illustration of the growth of dendrimer structures from an initial bifunctional core to a G-4 dendrimer containing 64 terminal groups on its outer surface. 

To investigate this dendritic effect, a dimeric model compound was synthesized which mimics the tethered relationship of two catalytic units within one branch of the PAMAM dendrimer. All dendritic catalysts were more active in the HKR than the parent complex. Furthermore, the dendritic catalysts also displayed significantly higher activity than the dimeric model compound. The authors proposed that this positive dendritic effect arises from restricted conformation imposed by the dendrimer structure, thereby creating a bigger effective molarity of [Co(salen)] units. Alternatively, the multimeric nature of the dendrimer, may lead to higher order in productive cooperative interactions between the catalytic units. 

Structure controlled dendritic polymers that have been studied using gel electrophoresis generally behave as mimics of either proteins or nucleic acids, and possess similar ionic groups such as -NH3 , -COO , or P04 functionality. Dendrimer structures may be widely modified as a function of their interior composition and as well as the nature of their surface groups. Depending on their structure, the influence of pH may vary dramatically for different dendrimers. 

Dendrimers have precise compositional and constitutional aspects, but they can exhibit many possible conformations. Thus, they lack long-range order in the condensed phase, which makes it inappropriate to characterize the molecular-level structure of dendrimers by X-ray diffraction analysis. However, there have been many studies performed using indirect spectroscopic methods to characterize dendrimer structures, such as studies using photophysical and photochemical probes by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, as well as studies using spin probes by EPR spectroscopy. 

Scheme 1 summarizes four different approaches used to characterize dendrimer structures by photophysical and photochemical probes 1. Non-covalent, inter-molecularly bound interior probes - to study the internal cavities and the encapsulation abilities of dendrimers. 2. Non-covalent, intermolecularly bound surface probes - to study surface characteristics of dendrimers. 3. Covalently linked probes on dendrimer surfaces - to study the molecular dynamics of dendrimers. 4. Covalently linked probes at the dendrimer central core - to study the site isolation of the core moiety and define the hydrodynamic volume of dendrimers by the concentric dendrimer shells. Critical literature in these four categories will be described using representative examples. 

Nevertheless, the existence of the famed maximum in the dendrimer [>7] vs G relationship, and whether this behavior could be a characteristic fingerprint property of this type of macromolecular architecture, was questioned recently [19, 23], In fact, so was the linearity of the dependence of dendrimer molecular radii on M1/3 [19], so that whether this may be the beginning of yet another controversy, remains to be seen. Perhaps the future may bring an interesting debate on these subjects, but until new data become available, one should refrain from drawing premature conclusions because the exciting architectural beauty of idealized dendrimer structures has already proven itself to easily tempt the most astonishing hypotheses that may not be readily substantiated by reality. 

A number of groups have reported the preparation and in situ application of several types of dendrimers with chiral auxiliaries at their periphery in asymmetric catalysis. These chiral dendrimer ligands can be subdivided into three different classes based on the specific position of the chiral auxiliary in the dendrimer structure. The chiral positions may be located at, (1) the periphery, (2) the dendritic core (in the case of a dendron), or (3) throughout the structure. An example of the first class was reported by Meijer et al. [22] who prepared different generations of polypropylene imine) dendrimers which were substituted at the periphery of the dendrimer with chiral aminoalcohols. These surface functionalities act as chiral ligand sites from which chiral alkylzinc aminoalcoholate catalysts can be generated in situ at the dendrimer periphery. These dendrimer systems were tested as catalyst precursors in the catalytic 1,2-addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde (see e.g. 13, Scheme 14). 

NMR spectroscopy appears to be a very suitable technique to detect and assign failures in the outermost layer of the dendrimer structure at each generation. All three nuclei present in the dendrimers have been used including 1H-, 13C- and 15N-NMR spectroscopy [5-7],... 

If dendrimers contain both luminescent units and coordination sites, they can perform as luminescent ligands for metal ions [10]. Coupling luminescence with metal coordination can indeed be exploited for a variety of purposes that include investigation of dendrimer structures [11], encapsulated metal nanoparticles [12],... 

A first generation poly(amido amine) dendrimer has been functionalized with three calyx[4]arenes, each carrying a pyrene fluorophore (4) [30]. In acetonitrile solution the emission spectrum shows both the monomer and the excimer emission band, typical of the pyrene chromophore. Upon addition of Al3+ as perchlorate salt, a decrease in the excimer emission and a consequent revival of the monomer emission is observed. This can be interpreted as a change in the dendrimer structure and flexibility upon metal ion complexation that inhibits close proximity of pyrenyl units, thus decreasing the excimer formation probability. 1H NMR studies of dendrimer 4 revealed marked differences upon Al3+ addition only in the chemical shifts of the CH2 protons linked to the central amine group, demonstrating that the metal ion is coordinated by the dendrimer core. MALDI-TOF experiments gave evidence of a 1 1 complex. Similar results have been obtained for In3+, while other cations such as Ag+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ do not affect the luminescence properties of... 

Amine-terminated, full-generation PAMAM and PPI dendrimers, as well as carboxylate-terminated half-generation PAMAM dendrimers, can directly bind metal ions to their surfaces via coordination to the amine or acid functionality. A partial hst of metal ions that have been bound to these dendrimers in this way includes Na+, K+, Cs+, Rb+, Fe +, Fe +, Gd +, Cu+, Cu +, Ag+, Mn +, Pd, Zn, Co, Rh+,Ru +,andPt + [18,19,27,36,54,82-96]. Tuxro et al.have also shown that the metal ion complexes, such as tris(2,2 -bipyridine)ruthenium (Rulbpylj), can be attached to PAMAM dendrimer surfaces by electrostatic attraction [97]. A wide variety of other famihes of dendrimers have also been prepared that bind metal ions to their periphery. These have recently been reviewed [3]. Such surface-bound metal ions can be used to probe dendrimer structure using optical spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) [86-88,90,97-99]. 

Spectra of G2-OH and G3-OH indicate the presence of dendrimers corresponding to the molecular weight of the ideal dendrimer structure (Mjs) 3273.05 for G2-OH (Fig. 9a) and 6941.8 for G3-OH (Fig. 9c). Some lower masses corresponding to the loss of one or several 115 mass units (Mis-(nx 115)) are also evident these are due to missing arm (-CH2CH2CONHCH2CH2OH) defects. The observation of an M]s-(4 x 115)-60 peak in G2-OH is due to four missing arms and the formation of an intramolecular loop (Mjg - 4 arms -I-1 loop). These defects have also been observed by electrospray (ES)-MS measurements [116]. The mass spectrum of G4-OH with or without Cu + is much more complicated than for the lower generations but a complete discussion is available in the primary literature [98]. 

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