Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Particles without a Box: Brush-first Synthesis of Photodegradable PEG Star Polymers under Ambient Conditions
Published on: October 10, 2013
Synthesis and properties of water-soluble asterisk molecules
Fredric M Menger1, Vladimir A Azov
1Contribution from the Department of Chemistry, Emory University, 1515 Pierce Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. menger@emory.edu
Abstract:
An asterisk is comprised of six semirigid arms projecting from a benzene nucleus. In the case at hand, asterisks were synthesized with one, two, or three aromatic rings (connected by sulfur atoms) in each of the six arms. A phosphomonoester at the termini of each arm solubilized the asterisks in water. The colloidal properties of these amphiphilic molecules were investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, calorimetry, light scattering, surface tensiometry, and pulse-gradient spin-echo NMR. Solubility, solubilization, metal binding, and micelle "seeding" experiments were also carried out. Chain-conformation and supramolecular assembly into remarkable molecular "scrolls" were investigated by X-ray analysis and electron microscopy, respectively. One of the more interesting properties of the asterisks is that they remain monomeric in water despite having as many as 19 hydrophobic aromatic rings exposed to the water. The reasons for this behavior, and the possibility of exploiting it for constructing enzyme models free from aggregation equilibria, are discussed.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Valence Bond Theory
03:51Molecular Orbital Theory II
03:00Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...
01:04Hydrogen Bonds
01:08Covalent Bonds
When two atoms share electrons to complete their valence shells, they create a covalent bond. An atom's electronegativity—the force with which shared electrons are pulled towards an atom—determines how the electrons are shared. Molecules formed with covalent bonds can be either polar or nonpolar. Atoms with similar electronegativities form nonpolar covalent bonds; the electrons are shared equally. Atoms with different electronegativities share electrons unequally, creating polar bonds.
01:29The Colloidal State