Functional groups, at chain

The inability to place the functional group at chain ends for easier chemical accessibility and possible greater flexibility of the final network. 

Step addition and step condensation polymerization processes give rise to polymers containing distinctive functional groups at chain ends. The nature of the end groups will depend on the precise chemistry of the polymerization process. For example, linear polyurethanes are produced by reaction between diisocyanates and diols. If a perfect 1 1 stoichiometry of the reactants is used in the synthesis, on average each polymer chain must contain one isocyanate functional group and one alcohol group. If a 2 1 molar ratio of reactants is used, when the isocyanate is in excess, all the chain ends will have isocyanate functionality, and all will have alcohol functionality at the chain ends if a two-fold excess of diol is used. 

Substitution of a dipeptide unit by a cychc dipeptide derivative within a peptide chain can induce certain conformational restraints that may alter the biological response via changing receptor selectivity. A facile procedure for synthesis of pyrazinone ring-containing opioid mimetics [21] has been elaborated, based on the cycHzation of readily available dipep-tidyl chloromethyl ketones [22] (Scheme 6). This method affords 2(IH)-pyrazinone derivatives containing substituents with desired functional groups at positions 3 and 6 in high yield. 

Proteins derive their powerful and diverse capacity for molecular recognition and catalysis from their ability to fold into defined secondary and tertiary structures and display specific functional groups at precise locations in space. Functional protein domains are typically 50-200 residues in length and utilize a specific sequence of side chains to encode folded structures that have a compact hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic surface. Mimicry of protein structure and function by non-natural ohgomers such as peptoids wiU not only require the synthesis of >50mers with a variety of side chains, but wiU also require these non-natural sequences to adopt, in water, tertiary structures that are rich in secondary structure. 

Polyunsaturated hydrocarbons and the epoxy derivatives with a longer straight chain (C17-C23) comprise a second major group [9], the Type II pheromones (A in Fig. 1). They lack a functional group at the terminal position,... 

As each larger sized species is formed, it competes simultaneously with the smaller-sized species for further reaction. There is a distribution of different sized molecules at any time — each species containing one functional group at each of its two chain ends. The average size of the molecules increases with conversion until eventually large polymer molecules are obtained. 

Thus, within the approximations on which scheme (1) is based, the yield Y/( 1 + Y) of ring product is solely determined by the value of the initial monomer concentration relative to the kintra/kdim ratio, which Stoll et al. termed the cyclisation constant C. C has units of mol 1 1 and represents the monomer concentration at which intra- and intermolecular processes occur at the same rate. That Stoll et al. disregarded the fact that two monomer units are used up in the intermolecular condensation, as well as that the monomer disappears by reaction with functional groups at the ends of polymer chains was pointed out by Morawetz and Goodman (1970), who proposed an alternative approximate solution to the problem, as based on... 

Some transition metal catalysts induce the living polymerization of various acetylenic compounds.68,69 Such polymerizations of phenylacetylene catalyzed by rhodium complexes are used in conjunction with a quantitative initiation and introduction of functional groups at the initiating chain end (Scheme 16).70 The catalyst is prepared from an [RhCl(nbd)]2/Ph2C=C(Ph)Li/PPh3 mixture and proceeds smoothly to give quantitatively the polymer 54 with a low polydispersity ratio. 

It is also possible to prepare polymers with functional groups by partial saponification of polyvinyl esters to give OH groups or polyacrylic esters or Polyacrylonitrile to give COOH groups. Polymer with such functional groups at the chain ends are prepared... 

Iodomethyltrialkyltin compounds, R3SnCH2I (from R3SnCl and ICH2ZnI), provide an entry to other functionally substituted organotin compounds. Reaction with nucleophiles such as R10, R1S, R 2N, or R 3P gives further a-substituted derivatives, and carbon nucleophiles can be used to locate the functional groups at more distant positions on the alkyl chain. Some examples are shown in Scheme 3. 

The ability to incorporate varied functional groups at the focal point and at the chain ends of the dendrons. 

The free radical polymerization of HPMA in the presence of mercaptans involves two different initiation mechanisms (Scheme 2) [26]. One is the initiation by RS radicals from chain transfer agent the other appears to be the direct initiation by the primary isobutyronitrile (IBN) radicals formed by the decomposition of AIBN [27]. The RS are formed by either the free radical transfer reaction of alkyl mercaptans with the IBN radicals or the chain transfer reaction of an active polymer chain with the mercaptans. The initiation by the RS radicals produces the ST polymers with a functional group at one end of the polymer chain. The initiation by IBN radicals leads to nonfunctional polymer chains with an IBN end group. The presence of the polymers with IBN end groups effects the purity and the functionality of ST polymers. As expected, the production of nonfunctionalized polymer chains is affected by reaction conditions. The polymerization is mainly terminated by chain transfer reaction with the mercaptans, but other termination mechanisms, such as disproportionation and recombination, take place depending on the reaction conditions [26]. 

The hydroxyfunctional hyperbranched polyesters have been characterized with respect to their mechanical and theological properties, both as thermoplastics and in cross-linked networks. The high number of terminal groups in hyperbranched polymers has a large impact on the properties, and also makes it easy to functionalize the polymers for various applications. One option is to attach reactive groups at chain ends, forming a cross-linkable polymer. Variations in functionality and the type of functional groups will affect both the polymer properties and the final cross-linked material properties. 

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