Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2025
08:00
DNA Nanotubes as a Versatile Tool to Study Semiflexible Polymers
Published on: October 25, 2017
6.8K
Skeletal Editing of Polymer Backbones and Its Impact Across the Polymer Lifecycle
Sydney E Towell1, Mark J Jareczek1, Lauren S Cooke1
1Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States.
Accounts of Chemical Research
|April 2, 2025
Summary
Skeletal editing precisely modifies synthetic polymer backbones, enabling new functionalities and sustainable plastic lifecycles. This approach addresses challenges in polymer chemistry, offering control over plastic properties and breakdown.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Organic Synthesis
- Materials Science
Background:
- Interest in precise molecular modification, termed skeletal editing, has grown significantly in chemistry.
- Adapting skeletal editing from small molecules to polymers presents unique challenges.
- The concept is inspired by CRISPR-Cas9's ability to edit nucleic acid polymers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advance skeletal editing methods for synthetic polymer backbones.
- To enable control over polymer structure, properties, and function.
- To explore applications across the polymer lifecycle, including synthesis, modification, and degradation.
Main Methods:
- Development and adaptation of small molecule skeletal editing reactions for polymeric substrates.
- Methodology optimization for site-selective activation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in polymers.
- Investigation of polymer substrate design for effective skeletal editing.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated skeletal editing to access challenging functional polymers and create new polymer feedstocks.
- Showcased the transformation of one polymer type into another, altering material properties.
- Developed methods for the breakdown of intractable polymer backbones.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal editing offers a powerful approach to control polymer structure and function, impacting the entire polymer lifecycle.
- Adaptation of small molecule reactions to polymers requires significant methodological development.
- Future work should focus on addressing outstanding challenges in polymer skeletal editing for broader applications and sustainability.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Polymer Classification: Architecture
2.6K
Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
2.6K
01:17Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching
1.9K
The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...
1.9K
01:31Proofreading
6.1K
Synthesis of new DNA molecules is carried out by the enzyme DNA polymerase, which adds nucleotides on the daughter strand complementary to the template DNA strand. DNA polymerase has a higher affinity to add the correct base and ensures fidelity during DNA replication. Furthermore, it exhibits proofreading activity during replication, using an exonuclease domain that cuts off incorrect nucleotides from the nascent DNA strand.
Errors During Replication are Corrected by the DNA Polymerase...
Errors During Replication are Corrected by the DNA Polymerase...
6.1K
02:34Polymers
34.1K
The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...
34.1K
01:26Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
2.4K
Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...
2.4K
01:03Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
3.4K
Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
3.4K