Protecting-Group-Free Iterative Exponential Growth Method for Synthesizing Sequence-Defined Polymers

ACS Macro Lett. 2021 Feb 16;10(2):223-230. doi: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00812. Epub 2021 Jan 19.

Abstract

As a main synthetic strategy for monodisperse sequence-defined polymers, the known iterative exponential growth (IEG) methods were all developed on protecting-group chemistry, where the additional deprotection reactions increased their synthetic steps and decreased their atom economy. In this study, we developed a protecting-group-free IEG method for the formation of sequence-defined polymers by combining three orthogonal click reactions of copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), sulfur-fluoride exchange reaction (SuFEx), and Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi-4CR). In this approach, oligomer synthesis began with three parallel CuAAC, SuFEx, and Ugi-4CR couplings among three monomers each with two orthogonal clickable end groups. By iteratively applying parallel CuAAC, SuFEx, and Ugi-4CR to couple three resultant oligomers, each having two orthogonal clickable terminals, this approach could exponentially grow three different sequence-defined polymers simultaneously with high efficiency, requiring no protecting-group chemistry. Additionally, each Ugi-4CR coupling reaction could introduce two external side groups to provide the molecular variation and side-chain functionalization for the resultant sequence-defined polymers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alkynes / chemistry
  • Azides* / chemistry
  • Copper / chemistry
  • Cycloaddition Reaction
  • Polymers* / chemistry

Substances

  • Alkynes
  • Azides
  • Polymers
  • Copper