Synthesis 2002(9): 1147-1156
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-32524
PAPER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Conjugated Materials: Problems and Prospects for Synthesis Using Carbohydrate Reagents

Daniel J. Sandman*, Ik-Bum Kim, Monica A. Rixman, Zo-Hong Tsai, Jeffrey Njus, Myunghwan Kim
Center for Advanced Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854-5046 USA
Fax: 0019789343013; e-Mail: Daniel_Sandman@uml.edu;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 25 February 2002
Publication Date:
28 June 2002 (online)

Preview

Abstract

General considerations related to the use of sugars and closely related compounds as reagents for molecular and macromolecular synthesis are presented. For the first time, we have used unprotected carbohydrates to initiate polymerizations. A variety of dicyanoalkenes and -arenes react with sugars in the presence of alkali to give conjugated polymers. Both cyclopolymerization and polymerization at only one of two cyano groups are observed, and some qualitative mechanistic issues related to these observations are discussed. In some cases, a sugar alkoxide is the active initiating reagent. Characterization of the resulting polymers is reported. Alkaline sugar reagents have also been used in Knoevenagel reactions to synthesize CN-PPV oligomers and a related conjugated polymer in good yields. The use of the polysaccharide chitosan as a polycation allows the absorption spectrum of the polythiophene HPURET to shift to longer wavelengths than other polycations in electrostatically assembled films.

24

Wassmundt, F. W.; Plourde, D. M.; Pedemonte, R. P. presented at the 203rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Francisco, California, 1992, April 5-10; Book of Abstracts, ORGN 310.

42

Jones, M. T. unpublished experiments 1994.

46

Kim, I.-B.; Njus, J.; Sandman, D. J.; Macromolecules, to be submitted.