Template polymerization definition

In both parts of the system the rate constant k is the same. Accepting, however that any reaction involving the polymer chain in proximity of template molecules, during at least part of its lifetime, may be called template or matrix polymerization. Polymerization proceeding outside the template is the secondary reaction. It is also convenient to generalize this definition to the step reactions, including in the template polymerization such cases in which polymerization proceeds only partially on the template. 

Description of polymerization kinetics in heterogeneous systems is complicated, even more so given that the structure of complex formed is not very well defined. In template polymerization we can expect that local concentration of the monomer (and/or initiator) can be different when compared with polymerization in the blank system. Specific sorption of the monomer by macromolecular coil leads to the increase in the concentration of the monomer inside the coil, changing the rate of polymerization. It is a problem of definition as to whether we can call such a polymerization a template reaction, if monomer is randomly distributed in the coil on the molecular level but not ordered by the template. 

Unlike proteins, polysaccharides generally do not have definite molecular weights. This difference is a consequence of the mechanisms of assembly of the two types of polymers. As we shall see in Chapter 27, proteins are synthesized on a template (messenger RNA) of defined sequence and length, by enzymes that follow the template exactly. For polysaccharide synthesis there is no template rather, the program for polysaccharide synthesis is intrinsic to the enzymes that catalyze the polymerization of the monomeric units, and there is no specific stopping point in the synthetic process. 

Early work on DNA polymerase I led to the definition of two central requirements for DNA polymerization. First, all DNA polymerases require a template. The polymerization reaction is guided by a template DNA strand according to the base-pairing rules predicted by Watson and Crick where a guanine is present in the template, a cytosine deoxynucleotide is added to the new strand, and so on. This was a particularly important discovery, not only because it provided a chemical basis for accurate semiconservative DNA replication but also because it represented the first example of the use of a template to guide a biosynthetic reaction. 

The most general definition of a template is as a structure-directing agent. In surfactant solutions the final templated polymers can be either discrete nanoparticles or mesostructured bulk materials as a consequence of polymerization, respectively, in the non-continuous or continuous domains of the template. Thermodynamically stable media, such as microemulsions, equilibrium vesicles, or lyotropic mesophases are especially useful as templates because of their structural definition and reproducible morphologies. The mesostructure of a thermodynamically stable template is defined by composition and temperature, but this same feature makes the structure unstable to changes in temperature, pH, or concentration. The aim of template synthesis is to transfer the self-organized template structure into a mechanically and chemically stable, durable, and processable material. 

After the polymerization incubate the MiniMlPs for 24 hr with I mL of the solvent you have used for the polymerization (under shaking or stirring preferably). Then measure the concentration of the template in the supernatant at definite time intervals (for example over a 10 hr period). You may use any analytical method to determine the concentration of the template. If you are using HPLC-UV, you can directly inject the supernatant into your system without separating it from the polymers. 

Only case (iii) of Scheme 2 could be strictly regarded as polymerization of a linear array of molecules. Consequently, it is desirable to broaden the definition of template to include a (macromolecular) species which influences the structure of the daughter molecule by imposing on the latter new structural features (generally related to its own). 

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