Date/Time
Date(s) - 24/09/2020
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

Title:  Post-SyntheticModification of Polymeric Structures using the Strain-Promoted Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition 

Date:                    Thursday, August24, 2020

Time:                    1:30 p.m.  

Zoom:                   https://mcmaster.zoom.us/j/91913515840?pwd=ZHdyZFZydGxYcFlvd0FvdC90V0R6dz09

Host:                    Dr. Alex Adronov 

Abstract:                    

 The discovery of functional materials andcompounds is a goal shared across multiple fields of chemistry. This can beachieved by preparing multiple derivatives from independent syntheses, or bythe post-synthetic modification (PSM) of a reactive material. This distinctionis important in the realm of polymer chemistry, as it significantly reduces thesynthetic workload, while maintaining a constant degree of polymerization (DP)between the derivatized series. The criteria for a suitable reaction arecomplicated by the need for efficient and quantitative chemistry. In the worldof small molecule synthesis, impure products can be easily removed from thetarget substrate. However, for a polymer to undergo a successful PSM, everyreactive unit must be converted without fail, as defects are covalently boundto the scaffold. This issue is further amplified by the low solubility (and attimes, insolubility) of polymeric materials in a narrow selection of solvents.In my Thesis, I address this issue by introducing a reactive dibenzocyclooctyne(DIBO) repeat unit into polymeric and macromolecule structures, such as linearconjugated polymers and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). The strained-alkynepresent in DIBO undergoes the strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition(SPAAC) to readily produce triazoles with a variety of organic azides.