Optically Active Polymers

The first four volumes of the series on 'Charged and Reactive Polymers' have been devoted to polymers in solution (Voh. I and II) or in gel and membrane forms (Vols. III and IV). In correlation with charges, other physical or chemical properties of macro­ molecules have been considered. Understanding of charge and hydrophobic effects is equally important for synthetic and biopolymers or their systems. Optically Active Polymers are related to problems of the same class, since optical activity is an inherent property of both natural macromolecules as well as a great variety of polymers synthesized in the Jast twenty years. Optical activity is a physical spectral property of chiral matter caused by asymmetrical configurations, conformations and structures which have no plane and no center of symmetry and consequently have two mirror image enantiomeric forms of inverse optical rotation. The racemic mixture of chiral enantiomers is optically inactive. The most common form of optical activity was first measured at a constant wavelength by the angle of rotation of linearly polarized light. More recently the measurements have been extended to the entire range of visible and attainable ultraviolet regions where electronic transitions are observed, giving rise to the ORD technique (Optical Rotatory Dispersion). The Cotton effects appear in the region of optically active absorption bands; outside of these bands the plain curve spectrum is also dependent on all the electronic transitions of the chromophores.

Inhalt

Circular Dichroism of Polymers: Theory and Practice.- General Methods of Synthesis of Optically Active Polymers.- Synthesis of Optically Active Polymers from Unsaturated Monomers.- Synthesis of Optically Active Polymers from Cyclic Monomers by Stereoelective Polymerization.- Optically Active Poly-Propiothiolactones.- Asymmetric Synthesis in Radical Polymerization.- Synthesis of Chiral Non-Racemic Dimers and Polymers Via Topochemical Reactions in Chiral Crystals; an Example of an 'Absolute' Asymmetric Synthesis.- Conformational Properties of Stereoregular Polyamides with Varying Degrees of Structural Rigidity.- Some Properties of Optically Active Poly (N-Formylpropylenimine).- Circular Dichroism and Conformation in Copolymers with Aromatic Side Chains and in Low Molecular Weight Models.- Conformational Studies on Synthetic Polypeptides, Contribution to the Optical Activity from Side-Chain Chromophores.- Circular Dichrosm on ?-L-Glutamic Acid Oligomers.- Conformational Dynamics of Optically Active Linear Biopolymers.- Modification of Chiral Properties Due to Interaction of Polymers and Small Molecules or Ions.- Optical Activity of Reactive 'Non-Regular' Synthetic Polymers. Properties and Applications.- Inversion of Optical Rotation of Poly(Propylene Oxide) by Solvent.- Synthesis, Ring Opening Study and Properties of Some New Polyampholytes from Substituted Aziridines.- Solution Properties of IronIII Complexes of Acetoacetylated Poly-L-Lysine, Poly-L-Ornithine and Poly-L-Diaminobutyric Acid.- Studies on Complexes of Antineoplastic Agents with DNA.- Synthetic Optically Active Polymers as Catalysts for Asymmetric Synthesis.- Separation of Enantiomers with Insoluble Optically Active Polymers.- Index of Subjects.