Synthetic receptors for oligo/polysaccharides
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
Polysaccharides with all-equatorial substitution patterns (e.g. cellulose and chitin) are exceptionally abundant in the biosphere and thus important natural resources. This project aims at synthetic receptor molecules which can form complexes with the polymer chains and thus aid their exploitation, for example by increasing solubility water. The work could also lead to molecules with biological activity, as the polymers are critical components of many living organisms (e.g. chitin in fungal cell walls and insect exoskeleta).
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/N509619/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
| 1943136 | Studentship | EP/N509619/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2021 | Claire Webster |
| Description | Several potential synthetic receptors for oligo/polysaccharides such as cellulose or chitin were developed. Unfortunately, none of the receptors synthesised were able to find smaller derivatives of cellulose with any significant affinity. The general design of these receptors consisted of two parallel surfaces connected by a number of spacer groups. A key feature of all the designs was the use of bis ureas as the spacer moiety, which was originally thought to be beneficial in binding carbohydrate guests. However, this research has shown that these groups are only successful in binding carbohydrates when the cavity is rigid due to the presence of steric hindrance surrounding the surface moieties. |
| Exploitation Route | Future work, could focus on modifying the surface groups of synthetic receptors so that the binding activity towards oligo/polysaccharides such as cellulose and chitin can be improved. This could lead to the exploitation of these molecules as renewable energy sources. |
| Sectors | Energy,Environment,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |