An innovative approach to the design of plastic antibodies: molecular imprinting via a non-polar transition state analogue

Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011

Herein, we present a survey of the literature covering the development of molecular imprinting science and technology over the years 2004-2011. In total, 3779 references to the original papers, reviews, edited volumes and monographs from this period are included, along with recently identified uncited materials from prior to 2004, which were omitted in the first instalment of this series covering the years 1930-2003. In the presentation of the assembled references, a section presenting reviews and monographs covering the area is followed by sections describing fundamental aspects of molecular imprinting including the development of novel polymer formats. Thereafter, literature describing efforts to apply these polymeric materials to a range of application areas is presented. Current trends and areas of rapid development are discussed.

Microgels and nanogels with catalytic activity

Molecular imprinting has grown considerably over the last decade with more and more applications being developed. The use of this approach for the generation of enzyme-mimics is here reviewed with a particular focus on the most recent achievements using different polymer formats such as microgels and nanogels, beads, membranes and also silica nanoparticles.

Characteristic of theophylline imprinted monolithic column and its application for determination of xanthine derivatives caffeine and theophylline in green tea

Theophylline imprinted monolithic columns were designed and prepared for rapid separation of a homologous series of xanthine derivatives, caffeine, and theophylline by an in situ thermal-initiated copolymerization technique. Caffeine and theophylline were fully separated both under isocratic and gradient elutions on this kind of monolithic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) column. The broad peak showed in isocratic elution could be improved in gradient elution. Some chromatographic conditions such as mobile phase composition, flow rate, and the temperature on the retention times were investigated. Hydrogen bonding interaction and hydrophobic interaction played an important role in the retention and separation. The binding capacity was evaluated by static adsorption and Scatchard analysis, which showed that the dissociation constant (KD) and the maximum binding capacity (Qmax) were 1.50 mol/L, and 236 micromol/g for high affinity binding site, and 7.97 mol/L and 785 micromol/g for lower affinity binding site, respectively. Thermodynamic data (DeltaDeltaH and DeltaDeltaS) obtained by Van't Hoff plots revealed an enthalpy-controlled separation. The morphological characteristics of monolithic MIP were investigated by scanning electron microscope, which showed that both mesopores and macropores were formed in the monolith. The present monolithic MIP column was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of caffeine and theophylline in different kinds of green tea.

A Class II Aldolase Mimic

[structures: see text] A class II aldolase-mimicking synthetic polymer was prepared by the molecular imprinting of a complex of cobalt (II) ion and either (1S,3S,4S)-3-benzoyl-1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one (4a) or (1R,3R,4R)-3-benzoyl-1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one (4b) in a 4-vinylpyridine-styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Evidence for the formation of interactions between the functional monomer and the template was obtained from NMR and VIS titration studies. The polymers imprinted with the template demonstrated enantioselective recognition of the corresponding template structure, and induced a 55-fold enhancement of the rate of reaction of camphor (1) with benzaldehyde (2), relative to the solution reactions, and were also compared to reactions with a series of reference polymers. Substrate chirality was observed to influence reaction rate, and the reaction could be competitively inhibited by dibenzoylmethane (6). Collectively, the results presented provide the first example of the use of enantioselective molecularly imprinted polymers for the catalysis of carbon-carbon bond formation.

Atrazine transforming polymer prepared by molecular imprinting with post-imprinting process

Molecularly imprinted polymers bearing atrazine transforming activity were prepared by using newly designed templates that are atrazine analogues attached with an allyl or a styryl group via a disulfide bond at the 6-position, methacrylic acid as a functional monomer and styrene/divinylbenzene as crosslinkers. After polymerization, the disulfide bond was reduced to remove the atrazine moiety from the polymer matrix, followed by oxidation of the remaining thiol group to generate sulfonic acid (post-imprinting treatment), so that both a methacrylic acid residue and a sulfonic acid residue existed in an atrazine-imprinted cavity. The polymers indicated the selective binding of triazine herbicides and catalytic activity for methanolysis at the 6-position of atrazine, yielding a low toxic atraton.