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Dendrimers
Dateline: 02/21/00
By Alan Bruzel
What Are Dendrimers?
They are large, spherical polymers; some individual dendrimer molecules exceed ten nanometers in diameter. Unlike those familiar polymers that elongate in a linear fashion, synthesis of dendrimers begins by attaching branched molecules to an initial core structure. Iterative polymerization of more branched molecules ultimately leads to a globular structure unable to accommodate further branching because of steric hindrance. Dendrimers may not only contain carbon-based organic molecules such as polyamidoamines, amino acids, DNA, and sugars, but are being constructed from organosilicons and organic/inorganic hybrids.
What Advantages Does a Dendrimer Structure Confer?
The dendrimer microenvironment possesses some interesting properties. In the interior of the molecule, holes in the core structure and folding of the branches create cages and channels which, depending upon how the dendrimer was constructed, are either hydrophilic or hydrophobic. That is, cavities in the dendrimer can either accommodate water-soluble or water-insoluble guest molecules. On the exterior of the molecule, the multitude of accessible, arm-like branches may be designed to bind a particular nucleic acid or protein, or may be electrically charged so that the entire dendrimer behaves as a polyelectrolyte.
What Are Some Future Uses for Dendrimers?
They may be used to encapsulate aromas and pesticides, or may serve as vehicles for drug delivery and gene therapy. They may also find applications as catalysts and solubilizing agents. Additionally, dendrimers may themselves act as building blocks in the fashioning of larger supramolecular structures.What the Web Has to Say about:
Dendrimers
A New Class of Dendritic
Polymer Catalysts
Properties of dendritic catalysts may allow their easy removal from reactions.
From the St. Andrews Center for Advanced Materials.
A
Starburst Porphyrin Polymer: A First Generation Dendrimer
Dendrimers entirely composed of porphyrins. From Tyler Norsten and Neil Branda,
University of Alberta.
Center for Molecular Design
and Recognition
Dendrimers exhibit self-assembly on the nanomolecular level. From the University
of South Florida.
Chemists
Explore Potential Of Dendritic Macromolecules As Functional Materials
Examines the breadth of dendrimer applications. Article by Ron Dagani, Chemical
& Engineering News.
Dendrimers
Some future directions of dendrimer technology. From Sidney Singer, Los Alamos
National Laboratories.
Dendrimers
Modifying dendrimer composition yields a wealth of products. From the Michigan
Molecular Institute.
Dendrimer
Probes from Genisphere
Dendrimers enhance sensitivity of molecular biology techniques. Article by Paul
Diehl in The Scientist.
Dendrimers:
Starburst Polymers
Introduction to molecular mechanisms of dendrimer growth. From Columbia
University.
Dendrimers
- Technical Terms, A Review, Diagrams, and Links
Review of dendrimer history and chemistry. From Andrew N. Shipway,
University of Birmingham.
Molecular
Modeling of Dendrimers
Gallery of dendrimer images and movies. From The Materials and Process
Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology.
PolyProbe
DNA dendrimers provide signal amplification in hybridization assays.
Reaction Reawakens Interest in
Dendrimers
Chemistry & Industry article explores dendrimer synthesis via the
self-condensing vinyl polymerization reaction of Jean Frechet, Cornell
University.
Who's Who in
Dendrimers: A Guide to Research
People and places doing dendrimer research. From Chris Thomas, University of
California at San Diego.
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