A Sacrificial Linker in Biodegradable Polyesters for Accelerated Photoinduced Degradation, Monitored by Continuous Atline SEC Analysis

Polymeric materials that undergo photoinduced degradation have wide application in fields such as controlled release. Most methods for photoinduced degradation rely on the UV or near-UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum; however, use of the deeply penetrating and benign wavelengths of visible light offers a multitude of advantages. Here we report a lactone monomer for ring-opening copolymerizations to introduce a sacrificial linker into a polymer backbone which can be cleaved by reactive oxygen species which are produced by a photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. We find that copolymers of this material readily degrade under visible light. We followed polymer degradation using a continuous flow size exclusion chromatography system, the components of which are described herein.

The Photochemical Mediated Ring Contraction of 4H-1,2,6-Thiadiazines To Afford 1,2,5-Thiadiazol-3(2H)-one 1-Oxides

1,2,6-Thiadiazines treated with visible light and 3O2 under ambient conditions are converted into difficult-to-access 1,2,5-thiadiazole 1-oxides (35 examples, yields of 39-100%). Experimental and theoretical studies reveal that 1,2,6-thiadiazines act as triplet photosensitizers that produce 1O2 and then undergo a chemoselective [3 + 2] cycloaddition to give an endoperoxide that ring contracts with selective carbon atom excision and complete atom economy. The reaction was optimized under both batch and continuous-flow conditions and is also efficient in green solvents.

Advances in continuous polymer analysis in flow with application towards biopolymers

Biopolymers, polymers derived from renewable biomass sources, have gained increasing attention in recent years due to their potential to replace traditional petroleum-based polymers in a range of applications. Among the many advantages of biopolymers can be included their biocompatibility, excellent mechanical properties, and availability from renewable feedstock. However, the development of biopolymers has been limited by a lack of understanding of their properties and processing behaviours. Continuous analysis techniques have the potential to hasten progress in this area by providing real-time insights into the properties and processing of biopolymers. Significant research in polymer chemistry has focused on petroleum-derived polymers and has thus provided a wealth of synthetic and analytical methodologies which may be applied to the biopolymer field. Of particular note is the application of flow technology in polymer science and its implications for accelerating progress towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based polymers. In this mini review we have outlined several of the most prominent use cases for biopolymers along with the current state-of-the art in continuous analysis of polymers in flow, including defining and differentiating atline, inline, online and offline analysis. We have found several examples for continuous flow analysis which have direct application to the biopolymer field, and we demonstrate an atline continuous polymer analysis method using size exclusion chromatography.

Graphical abstract

Regioselective electrophilic aromatic borylation as a method for synthesising sterically hindered benzothiadiazole fluorophores

Regioselective stepwise phenylation of 4,7-diarylbenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole fluorophores has been achieved through a facile one-pot, three-step synthetic strategy involving sequential borylation, hydroxydechlorination and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Crucial to the selectivity was the use of BCl₃ to regioselectively install a boronic acid group in the ortho-position of only one of the diaryl groups. The subsequent introduction of ortho-phenyl groups through Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling gave rise to twisted structures with hindered intramolecular rotation, providing a structural lever with which the fluorophore absorption and emission properties could be adjusted.

ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Differences between Genders - A Single Center Retrospective Analysis

BACKGROUND

Although outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) have improved, women show higher mortality.

OBJECTIVES

To assess gender differences in presentation, management and in-hospital mortality, at 30-days, 6-months and 1-year after STEMI.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected data from 809 consecutive patients treated with primary PCI and compared the females versus males at the local intervention cardiology database. The level of significance used was p<0.05.

RESULTS

Women were older than man (69,1±14,6 vs. 58,5±12,7 years; p<.001) with higher prevalence of age over 75 years (36.7% vs. 11.7%; p<.001), diabetes (30,6% vs. 18,5%; p=.001), hypertension (60.5% vs. 45.9%; p=.001), chronic kidney disease (3.4% vs. 0.6%; p=.010) and acute ischemic stroke (6.8% vs. 3.0%; p=.021). At presentation, women had more atypical symptoms, less chest pain (p=.014) and were more frequently in cardiogenic shock (p=.011)). Women had longer time until reperfusion (p=.001) and were less likely to receive optimal medical therapy (p<0.05). In-hospital mortality (p=.001), at 30-days (p<.001), 6-months (p<.001) and 1-year (16.4% vs. p<.001) was higher in women. The multivariate analysis identified age over 75 years (HR=4.25; 95% CI[1.67-10.77];p=.002), Killip class II (HR=8.80; 95% CI[2.72-28.41];p<.001), III (HR=5.88; 95% CI [0.99-34.80]; p=.051) and IV (HR=9.60; 95% CI[1.86-48.59];p=.007), Acute Kidney Injury (HR=2.47; 95% CI[1.00-6.13];p=.051) and days of hospitalization (HR=1.04; 95% CI[1.01-1.08];p=.030) but not female gender (HR=0.83; 95% CI[0.33-2.10];p=.690) as independent prognostic factors of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to men, women with STEMI undergoing primary PCI have higher mortality rates. Women admitted for STEMI have a worse risk profile, are treated with a higher reperfusion time related with system delays and are less likely to receive the recommended therapy. Female gender was not an independent prognostic factor for mortality in the studied population.

Superprotonic conduction of intrinsically zwitterionic microporous polymers based on easy-to-make squaraine, croconaine and rhodizaine dyes

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have been prepared via a novel metal free polycondensation between a tritopic indole-based monomer and squaric, croconic and rhodizonic acids. Each of the three POPs exhibited high BET surface areas (331-667 m² g^-1) and zwitterionic structures. Impedance measurements revealed that the intrinsic POPs were relatively weak proton conductors, with a positive correlation between the density of oxo-groups and the proton conduction. Doping the materials with LiCl vastly improved the proton conductivity up to a value of 0.54 S cm^-1 at 90 °C and 90% relative humidity.

4,7-Diarylbenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazoles as fluorophores and visible light organophotocatalysts

A library of 26 electron donor-acceptor organophotocatalysts based on the benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BTZ) group has been developed. These visible light organophotocatalysts were then used in a Minisci-type alkylation of heteroarenes under both batch and continuous flow conditions.

Spectroscopic ellipsometric study datasets of the fluorinated polymers: Bifunctional urethane methacrylate perfluoropolyether (PFPE) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)

The datasets in this work contain the experimentally measured (real) refractive indices, optical transmission intensity, and optical absorption spectra of bifunctional urethane methacrylate perfluoropolyether (PFPE; Fluorolink® MD700) substrate of (0.98 ± 0.13) mm thickness and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF; Kynar® 705) thin-film of (4.47 ± 0.29) µm thickness over a spectral range from 300 nm to 1000 nm, as measured via variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The refractive indices data were determined by employing a single Cauchy optical constants function based layer using a Levenberg-Marquardt multi-iterative regression algorithm for all model minimizations. The mean-squared error (MSE) was used as the maximum likelihood estimator, with a convergence of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm reached when successive iterations were unable to improve the MSE. The resulting best-fit parameter values were evaluated for sensitivity (expressed as a confidence limit), and possible correlations. Furthermore, the experimentally measured optical transmission intensity and determined optical absorption of PFPE and PVDF, over a spectral range from 300 nm to 1000 nm, is also presented, as measured via ellipsometry and corrected using Fresnel equations to accommodate surface interference. Given the high transmission of (88.4 ± 0.5)% for PFPE and (95.6 ± 0.6) % for PVDF found, and the low refractive index 1.27 (λ = 589.3 nm) found for PFPE; it is thought that these datasets may be useful for optical applications, such as for photo-curable synthesis processes, or being used as a host-matrix material for photoluminescent compounds.

Flash chemistry enables high productivity metalation-substitution of 5-alkyltetrazoles

Tetrazoles play a prominent role in medicinal chemistry due to their role as carboxylate bioisosteres but have largely been overlooked as C-H functionalisation substrates. We herein report the development of a high-yielding and general procedure for the heterobenzylic C-H functionalisation of 5-alkyltetrazoles in up to 97% yield under batch conditions using a metalation/electrophilic trapping strategy. Through the use of thermal imaging to identify potentially unsafe exotherms, a continuous flow procedure using a flash chemistry strategy has also been developed, allowing products to be accessed in up to 95% yield. This enabled an extremely high productivity rate of 141 g h-1 to be achieved on an entry-level flow system.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: are women being discriminated?

Background

Although outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) have improved, a gender disparity exists, with women showing higher mortality.

Objectives

To assess gender differences in presentation, management and in-hospital, at 30-days, 6-months and 1-year after STEMI mortality.

Methods

We collected data from 809 consecutive patients treated with primary PCI and compared the females versus males.

Results

Women were older than man (69,1±14,6 vs. 58,5±12,7 years; p&lt;0.001) with higher prevalence of age over 75 years (36.7% vs. 11.7%; p&lt;0.001), diabetes (30,6% vs. 18,5%; p=0.001), hypertension (60.5% vs. 45.9%; p=0.001), chronic kidney disease (3.4% vs. 0.6%; p=0.010) and acute ischemic stroke (6.8% vs. 3.0%; p=0.021). At presentation, women had more atypical symptoms, less chest pain (90.3% vs. 95.6%; p=0.014) and greater clinical severity (cardiogenic shock (10.7% vs. 5.4%; p=0.011). There were no differences in the symptom-first medical contact me (95.0 min vs. 80.5 min; p=0.215); however, women had longer time until reperfusion (264.0 min vs. 212.5 min; p=0.001) and were less likely to receive optimal medical therapy (aspirin-93.1% vs. 99.2%; p&lt;0.001; P2Y12 inhibitors 91.9% vs. 98.2%; p&lt;0.001; beta-blockers-90.8% vs. 95.1%; p=0.032; ACEIs- 88.1% vs. 94.8%; p=0.003). In-hospital mortality (9.6% vs. 3.5%; p=0.001), at 30-days (11.3% vs. 4.0%; p&lt;0.001), 6-months (14.1% vs. 4.7%; p&lt;0.001) and 1-year (16.4% vs. 6.3%; p&lt;0.001) was significantly higher in women. The multivariate analysis identified age over 75 years (HR=4.25; 95% CI [1.67–10.77]; p=0.002), Killip class II (HR=8.80; 95% CI [2.72–28.41]; p&lt;0.001), III (HR=5.88; 95% CI [0.99–34.80]; p=0.051) and IV (HR=9.60; 95% CI [1.86–48.59]; p=0.007), acute kidney injury (HR=2.47; 95% CI [1.00–6.13]; p=0.051) and days of hospitalization (HR=1.04; 95% CI [1.01–1.08]; p=0.030) but not female gender (HR=0.83; 95% CI [0.33–2.10]; p=0.690) as independent prognostic factors of mortality.

Conclusions

Compared to men, women with STEMI undergoing primary PCI have higher mortality rates. Our results suggest that this is not due to the gender itself, but due to the women worse risk profile, the higher reperfusion time related with system delays and the minor probability of receiving the recommended therapy. Efforts should be made to reduce these gender differences.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

8,8'-(Benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole-4,7-diyl)bis(quinolin-4(1H)-one): a twisted photosensitizer with AIE properties

A new benzothiadiazole (BTZ) luminogen is prepared via the Suzuki-Miyaura Pd-catalysed C-C cross-coupling of 8-iodoquinolin-4(1H)-one and a BTZ bispinacol boronic ester. The rapid reaction (5 min) affords the air-, thermo-, and photostable product in 97% yield as a yellow precipitate that can be isolated by filtration. The luminogen exhibits aggregated-induced emission (AIE) properties, which are attributed to its photoactive BTZ core and nonplanar geometry. It also behaves as a molecular heterogeneous photosensitizer for the production of singlet oxygen under continuous flow conditions.

Expanding the Tool Kit of Automated Flow Synthesis: Development of In-line Flash Chromatography Purification

Recent advancements in in-line extraction and purification technology have enabled complex multistep synthesis in continuous flow reactor systems. However, for the large scope of chemical reactions that yield mixtures of products or residual starting materials, off-line purification is still required to isolate the desired compound. We present the in-line integration of a commercial automated flash chromatography system with a flow reactor for the continuous synthesis and isolation of product(s). A proof-of-principle study was performed to validate the system and test the durability of the column cartridges, performing an automated sequence of 100 runs over 2 days. Three diverse reaction systems that highlight the advantages of flow synthesis were successfully applied with in-line normal- or reversed-phase flash chromatography, continuously isolating products with 97-99% purity. Productivity of up to 9.9 mmol/h was achieved, isolating gram quantities of pure product from a feed of crude reaction mixture. Herein, we describe the development and optimization of the systems and suggest guidelines for selecting reactions well suited to in-line flash chromatography.

Discrete Ti-O-Ti Complexes: Visible-Light-Activated, Homogeneous Alternative to TiO2 Photosensitisers

A series of novel bimetallic TiIV amine bis(phenolate) complexes was synthesised and fully characterised. X-ray crystallography studies revealed distorted octahedral geometries around the Ti centres with single or double oxo-bridges connecting the two metals. These robust, air- and moisture-stable complexes were employed as photosensitisers generating singlet oxygen following irradiation with visible light (420 nm) LED module in a commercial flow reactor. All five complexes showed high activity in the photo-oxygenation of α-terpinene and achieved complete conversion to ascaridole in four hours at ambient temperature. The excellent selectivity of these photosensitisers towards ascaridole (vs. transformation to p-cymene) was demonstrated with control experiments using a traditional TiO2 catalyst. Further comparative studies employing the free pro-ligands as well as a monometallic analogue highlighted the importance of the 'TiO2 -like' moiety in the polymetallic catalysts. Computational studies were used to determine the nature of the ligand to metal charge transfer (LMCT) states and singlet-triplet gaps for each complex, the calculated trends in the UV-vis absorption spectra across the series agreed well with the experimental results.

Small for gestational age very preterm infants present a higher risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia

INTRODUCTION

Several studies assessed the influence of a low birth weight on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), but not all could find a significant association. Our aim was to assess the association between low birth weight and BPD in preterm infants, prospectively recruited at 11 level III Portuguese neonatal centers.

METHODS

Obstetrical and neonatal data on mothers and preterm infants with gestational ages between 24 and 30 weeks, born during 2015 and 2016 after a surveilled pregnancy, were analyzed. Neonates were considered small for gestational age (SGA) when their birthweight was below the 10th centile of Fenton's growth chats and BPD was defined as the dependency for oxygen therapy until 36 weeks of corrected age. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS® statistics 23 and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Out of 614, a total of 494 preterm infants delivered from 410 women were enrolled in the study; 40 (8.0%) infants with SGA criteria. SGA were more often associated with a single pregnancy, had greater use of antenatal corticosteroids, increased prevalence of gestational hypertensive disorders, C-section, rupture of membranes below 18 hours, rate of intubation in the delivery room, use of surfactant treatment, oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation need, BPD, cystic periventricular leukomalacia, nosocomial sepsis and pneumonia; had lower prevalence of chorioamnionitis, and lower Apgar scores. The multivariate analysis by logistic regression, adjusted for BPD risk factors revealed a significant association between SGA and BPD: OR = 5.2 [CI: 1.46-18.58]; p = 0.01.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study increase the scientific evidence that SGA is an independent risk factor for BPD.

Heterogeneous photocatalysis in flow chemical reactors

The synergy between photocatalysis and continuous flow chemical reactors has shifted the paradigms of photochemistry, opening new avenues of research with safer and scalable processes that can be readily implemented in academia and industry. Current state-of-the-art photocatalysts are homogeneous transition metal complexes that have favourable photophysical properties, wide electrochemical redox potentials, and photostability. However, these photocatalysts present serious drawbacks, such as toxicity, limited availability, and the overall cost of rare transition metal elements. This reduces their long-term viability, especially at an industrial scale. Heterogeneous photocatalysts (HPCats) are an attractive alternative, as the requirement for the separation and purification is largely removed, but typically at the cost of efficiency. Flow chemical reactors can, to a large extent, mitigate the loss in efficiency through reactor designs that enhance mass transport and irradiation. Herein, we review some important developments of heterogeneous photocatalytic materials and their application in flow reactors for sustainable organic synthesis. Further, the application of continuous flow heterogeneous photocatalysis in environmental remediation is briefly discussed to present some interesting reactor designs that could be implemented to enhance organic synthesis.

Continuous-flow synthesis and application of polymer-supported BODIPY Photosensitisers for the generation of singlet oxygen; process optimised by in-line NMR spectroscopy

Commercial polystyrene Merrifield-type resins have been post-synthetically functionalised with BODIPY photosensitisers via a novel aryl ester linking strategy in continuous-flow. A unique synthetic advantage of post-synthetically modifying heterogeneous materials in flow was identified. The homogeneous analogues of the polymer-supported BODIPYs were synthesised and used as reference to assess photophysical properties altered by the polymer-support and linker. The homogeneous and polymer-supported BODIPYs were applied in visible-light photosensitisation of singlet oxygen for the conversion of α-terpinene to ascaridole. Materials produced in flow were superior to batch in terms of functional loading and photosensitisation efficiency. Flow photochemical reactions generally outperformed batch by a factor of 4 with respect to rate of reaction. The polymer-supported BODIPY resins could be irradiated for 96 h without loss of photosensitising ability. Additional material synthetic modification and conditions optimisation using an in-line NMR spectrometer resulted in a 24-fold rate enhancement from the initial material and conditions.

Conjugated porous polymers: incredibly versatile materials with far-reaching applications

This review discusses conjugated porous polymers and focuses on relating design principles and synthetic methods to key properties and applications such as (photo)catalysis, gas storage, chemical sensing, energy storage and environmental remediation.

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Enantioselective Desymmetrization of Polycyclic Cyclohexenediones: Conjugate Addition versus Oxidative Heck

Pd(II)-catalyzed desymmetrization of polycyclic cyclohexenediones has been achieved with high enantio- and diastereoselectivities. Up to five contiguous stereocenters are desymmetrized, while simultaneously, an additional stereocenter is created by the enantioselective conjugate addition. Surprisingly, the conjugate addition products dominate even under typical oxidative Heck conditions, and these observations may provide some insight into the competition between the two related reactions.

Dramatic improvement of stability by in situ linker cyclization of a metal–organic framework

Towards 3D graphenes: we demonstrate an effective two-step strategy for accessing crystalline porous covalent networks of highly conjugated π-electron systems.

Auto-Tandem Catalysis: PdII -Catalysed Dehydrogenation/Oxidative Heck Reaction of Cyclopentane-1,3-diones

A Pd^II catalyst system has been used to successfully catalyse two mechanistically distinct reactions in a one-pot procedure: dehydrogenation of 2,2-disubstituted cyclopentane-1,3-diones and the subsequent oxidative Heck coupling. This auto-tandem catalytic reaction is applicable to both batch and continuous flow processes, with the latter being the first example of a tandem aerobic dehydrogenation/oxidative Heck in flow. In addition, a telescoped reaction involving enantioselective desymmetrisation of the all-C quaternary centre was successfully achieved.

Phospholipid imprinted polymers as selective endotoxin scavengers

Herein we explore phospholipid imprinting as a means to design receptors for complex glycolipids comprising the toxic lipopolysaccharide endotoxin. A series of polymerizable bis-imidazolium and urea hosts were evaluated as cationic and neutral hosts for phosphates and phosphonates, the latter used as mimics of the phospholipid head groups. The bis-imidazolium hosts interacted with the guests in a cooperative manner leading to the presence of tight and well defined 1:2 ternary complexes. Optimized monomer combinations were subsequently used for imprinting of phosphatidic acid as an endotoxin dummy template. Presence of the aforementioned ternary complexes during polymerization resulted in imprinting of lipid dimers - the latter believed to crudely mimic the endotoxin Lipid A motif. The polymers were characterized with respect to template rebinding, binding affinity, capacity and common structural properties, leading to the identification of polymers which were thereafter subjected to an industrially validated endotoxin removal test. Two of the polymers were capable of removing endotoxin down to levels well below the accepted threshold (0.005 EU/mg API) in pharmaceutical production.

Fluorene-containing tetraphenylethylene molecules as lasing materials

A series of star‐shaped oligofluorene molecules, each containing a TPE core, have been specifically designed and produced to show effective aggregation‐induced emission (AIE). Each molecule differs either in the number of fluorene units within the arms (e.g., 1 or 4, compounds 4 and 5), or the terminal group positioned at the end of each arm (e.g., H, TMS, or TPA, compounds 4, 6, and 7). Although they are all poor emitters in solution phase they become efficient yellow‐green luminogens in the condensed state. Their AIE properties were investigated in THF/H₂O mixtures, with each molecule exhibiting a clear emission enhancement at specific water contents. An all‐organic distributed feedback (DFB) laser was fabricated using compound 4 as the gain material and exhibited an average threshold energy fluence of 60 ± 6 μJ/cm² and emission in the green region. Furthermore, piezofluorochromism studies on a thin film of this material displayed a linear dependence of the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) peak position on applied pressure, indicating potential applications as lasing‐based pressure sensors. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017, 55, 734–746

BODIPY-based conjugated microporous polymers as reusable heterogeneous photosensitisers in a photochemical flow reactor

Production of singlet oxygen at 530 nm in a flow reactor using novel BODIPY-based polymers as heterogeneous photosensitisers.

In situ production of silver nanoparticles on an aldehyde-equipped conjugated porous polymer and subsequent heterogeneous reduction of aromatic nitro groups at room temperature

Silver lining on porous polymer – all from heating Tollen's reagent and a polymer host deriving its versatile functions from pendant aldehyde groups and rigid thioether joints.

Facile synthesis of a conjugated microporous polymeric monolith via copper-free Sonogashira–Hagihara cross-coupling in water under aerobic conditions

Facile thiol–yne chemistry on a porous polymer monolith: the sulfur donors thus installed effectively take up Ag(i) ions, allowing for the catalysis of heterocyclization reaction in the solid phase.

Facile functionalization of HTC-derived carbon microspheres

Surfaces of HTC-derived carbons were functionalized using dienophiles such as maleimide (MI), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), and 4,5-dicyano-1,3-dithiol-2-one (DCDTO). DCDTO-functionalized carbons were then hydrolyzed to yield thiol-functionalized carbons, which were used to perform conjugate addition on the carbon surface.

Conjugated microporous networks on the basis of 2,3,5,6-tetraarylated diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole

π-Conjugated microporous networks have been prepared from the tetraarylated diketopyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole unit as a tetrafunctional building block. The reactions are carried out using microwave-assisted Yamamoto or Sonogashira cross-coupling. Red insoluble powders are obtained, showing intense fluorescence. The polymer networks exhibit a high gas storage capability, with BET surface areas up to about 500 m² · g⁻¹.

Redox-active tetrathiafulvalene and dithiolene compounds derived from allylic 1,4-diol rearrangement products of disubstituted 1,3-dithiole derivatives

We present a series of compounds by exploiting the unusual 1,4-aryl shift observed for electron-rich 1,3-dithiole-2-thione and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives in the presence of perchloric acid. The mechanistic features of this rearrangement are discussed since this synthetic strategy provides an alternative route for the synthesis and functionalisation of sulfur rich compounds including redox active compounds of TTFs, and a Ni dithiolene.

A phosphotyrosine-imprinted polymer receptor for the recognition of tyrosine phosphorylated peptides

Hyperphosphorylation at tyrosine is commonly observed in tumor proteomes and, hence, specific phosphoproteins or phosphopeptides could serve as markers useful for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The analysis of such targets is, however, a challenging task, because of their commonly low abundance and the lack of robust and effective preconcentration techniques. As a robust alternative to the commonly used immunoaffinity techniques that rely on phosphotyrosine(pTyr)-specific antibodies, we have developed an epitope-imprinting strategy that leads to a synthetic pTyr-selective imprinted polymer receptor. The binding site incorporates two monourea ligands placed by preorganization around a pTyr dianion template. The tight binding site displayed good binding affinities for the pTyr template, in the range of that observed for corresponding antibodies, and a clear preference for pTyr over phosphoserine (pSer). In further analogy to the antibodies, the imprinted polymer was capable of capturing short tyrosine phosphorylated peptides in the presence of an excess of their non-phosphorylated counterparts or peptides phosphorylated at serine.

The Introduction of Pyrrolotetrathiafulvalene into Conjugated Architectures: Synthesis and Electronic Properties

A series of new conjugated copolymers incorporating the redox-active pyrrolo-TTF unit has been synthesised. The properties of the polymers have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and electronic absorption spectroscopy, revealing that the pyrrolo-TTF behaves very differently to its thieno-TTF variant. In comparison to thieno analogues, the band gaps of the new polymers are wider than expected due to a decrease in the polarizability of the heteratom (nitrogen vs. sulfur) and steric interactions between repeat units. Whilst the pyrrolo-TTF units are stronger electron donors than thieno-TTFs in related structures, the two redox active elements of the new polymers (TTF and conjugated chain) function independently under oxidative conditions.