Valentin O. Rodionov

Sequence-controlled copolymers of 2,3,4,5-pentafluorostyrene: mechanistic insight and application to organocatalysis

A number of copolymers between styrene (St) or 4-azidomethylstyrene (N3St) and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene (FSt) have been prepared by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and conventional free radical polymerization (FRP). The mode of monomer alternation in copolymers has been established unambiguously using heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) NMR. The degree and nature of monomer alternation was found to be strongly dependent on both the solvent (or lack thereof) and the polymerization initiator. These results are in contrast to previously published studies, which rely primarily on classic analysis of monomer reactivity ratios. We proceeded to independently functionalize the N3St and FSt moieties using orthogonal “click” chemistries: copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) and fluoroarene–thiol coupling (FTC). An alternating copolymer bearing –NH2 and –SO3− functional groups was found to be a competent organocatalyst for a Henry reaction between benzaldehyde and nitromethane.

Mining Chemical Activity Status from High-Throughput Screening Assays.

High-throughput screening (HTS) experiments provide a valuable resource that reports biological activity of numerous chemical compounds relative to their molecular targets. Building computational models that accurately predict such activity status (active vs. inactive) in specific assays is a challenging task given the large volume of data and frequently small proportion of active compounds relative to the inactive ones. We developed a method, DRAMOTE, to predict activity status of chemical compounds in HTP activity assays. For a class of HTP assays, our method achieves considerably better results than the current state-of-the-art-solutions. We achieved this by modification of a minority oversampling technique. To demonstrate that DRAMOTE is performing better than the other methods, we performed a comprehensive comparison analysis with several other methods and evaluated them on data from 11 PubChem assays through 1,350 experiments that involved approximately 500,000 interactions between chemicals and their target proteins. As an example of potential use, we applied DRAMOTE to develop robust models for predicting FDA approved drugs that have high probability to interact with the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) in humans. Our findings are further partially and indirectly supported by 3D docking results and literature information. The results based on approximately 500,000 interactions suggest that DRAMOTE has performed the best and that it can be used for developing robust virtual screening models. The datasets and implementation of all solutions are available as a MATLAB toolbox online at www.cbrc.kaust.edu.sa/dramote and can be found on Figshare.

Palladium N-Heterocyclic Carbene Precatalyst Site Isolated in the Core of a Star Polymer.

An approach for supporting a Pd-NHC complex on a soluble star polymer with nanoscale dimensions is described. The resulting star polymer catalyst exhibits excellent activity in cross-coupling reactions, is stable in air and moisture, and is easily recoverable and recyclable. These properties are distinct and unattainable with the small-molecule version of the same catalyst.

pH-Sensitive amphiphilic block-copolymers for transport and controlled release of oxygen

Saturated fluorocarbons, their derivatives and emulsions are capable of dissolving anomalously high amounts of oxygen and other gases. The mechanistic aspects of this remarkable effect remain to be explored experimentally. Here, the synthesis of a library of amphiphilic fluorous block-copolymers incorporating different fluorinated monomers is described, and the capacity of these copolymers for oxygen transport in water is systematically investigated. The structure of the fluorous monomer employed was found to have a profound effect on both the oxygen-carrying capacity and the gas release kinetics of the polymer emulsions. Furthermore, the release of O2 from the polymer dispersions could be triggered by changing the pH of the solution. This is the first example of a polymer-based system for controlled release of a non-polar, non-covalently entrapped respiratory gas.

Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Cyclopentene Using a Ruthenium Catalyst Confined by a Branched Polymer Architecture

Multi-arm polystyrene stars functionalized with Grubbs-type catalysts in their cores were synthesized and used for the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclopentene. The spatial confinement of the catalytic sites and the nanoscale phase separation between polystyrene and the growing polypentenamer chains lead to a dramatic inhibition of the ROMP termination and chain transfer steps. Consequently, cyclopentene polymerizations proceeded fast and with a high degree of conversion even in air. The Grubbs second generation catalyst was oxidatively inactivated under the same conditions. In contrast to conventional small-molecule catalysts, the ultimate degree of conversion of the cyclopentene monomer and the polydispersity of the product polypentenamer are not affected by the temperature. This indicates that spatial confinement of the catalyst results in a significant change in the activation parameters for the alkene metathesis ring-opening.

A Novel Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based 4-Miktoarm Star Terpolymer: Synthesis and Self-Assembly

A well-defined amphiphilic miktoarm polymer incorporating poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polystyrene (PS), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blocks was synthesized via a combination of atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), iodine transfer radical polymerization (ITP), and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Morphology and self-assembly of this star polymer were examined in organic solvents and in water. The aggregates formed in water were found to possess unusual frustrated topology due to immiscibility of PS and PVDF. The polymer was evaluated for transport of small hydrophobic molecules in water.