Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026

Controlled Photoredox Ring-Opening Polymerization of O-Carboxyanhydrides Mediated by Ni/Zn Complexes
Published on: November 21, 2017
Synthesis of water soluble and multi-responsive selenopolypeptides via ring-opening polymerization of
Guangqi Wu1, Chenglong Ge, Xingyi Liu
1Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China. chemhualu@pku.edu.cn.
Abstract:
We report here the synthesis of water soluble selenopolypeptides via the ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides. The oligoethylene glycol-bearing selenopolypeptides are thermally responsive in aqueous solutions with tunable lower critical solution temperatures. The polymers can also undergo rapid and reversible helix-coil transitions upon responding to the added redox cycle.
Related Concept Videos
Solubility Equilibria: Ionic Product of Water
The ionic product of water varies with temperature, and its value is 1.0 x 10−14 at standard experimental conditions. Per Le...
Factors Affecting Solubility
Solubility Equilibria
The...
Physical Properties Affecting Solubility
As for any solution, the solubility of a gas in a liquid is affected by the attractive intermolecular forces between solute and solvent species. Unlike solid and liquid solutes, however, there is no solute-solute intermolecular attraction to overcome when a gaseous solute dissolves in a liquid solvent since the atoms or molecules comprising a gas are far separated and experience negligible interactions. Consequently, solute-solvent interactions are the sole...
Solubility of Ionic Compounds
Solubility
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,...

