Consequences of Folding a Water-Soluble Polymer Around an Organocatalyst

摘要

Nature's ability to perform catalytic reactions in a fast and specific way has been a source of inspiration for chemists who seek to enhance catalytic efficiency. In addition to small-molecule catalysts, several artificial polymeric systems have been developed in recent years based on the current understanding of the action of enzymes. Foldamers dendrim-ers, and star polymers are effective macromolecular catalysts in organic solvents, and high enantioselectivities are attained in a number of reactions. The ability of artificial metalloenzymes, DNA-based catalysts, amphiphilic block copolymers, and micellar systems to form hydrophobic domains in water in order to significantly increase the effectiveness of catalysts that are normally not compatible with water has been explored. In these systems, the importance of isolating the site of the catalytically active center is well recognized.