I've been making star shaped polymers, but the core molecule which is poly-alcohol or poly-carboxylic acid does not dissolve in solvents like THF, DMF, or CH2Cl2.
I cannot modify them and do next steps. Does anyone have experience with star shaped polymer synthesis, and can give me some advice?
By starshaped I assume you have been synthesizing a dendrimer. As you describe you have produced a highly polar dendrimer judging from the hydroxyl or carboxyl termini you mentioned. We used to synthezise newkome dendrimers of first and second generation in our labs which are not directly star shaped - more or less they are forks - but still they were very badly soluble in solvents other than low alcohols (methonol, ethanol), alcohol/water mixtures. Best solubility will of course be provided in aqueous solutions the more polar groups are deprotonated. Hence for the polycarboxylic acid I would suggest using a borate-buffered solution or just go to high pH values in your water phase.
Best Regards,
JME
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If your chemistry works in DMSO that would help maybe. These compounds tend to dissolve in dmso. Else water obviously; indeed pH well above pKa helps. Potentially also DMSO + higher pH ?
Good luck!
An addon comment on what Hubert said: If you are going for highly polar organic solvents (DMF, DMSO) I think you still have better chances to dissolve the protonated and hence uncharged specimen. A simple test with some organic base like triethylamine will give a quick result though. I suppose slightly acidic conditions will work better in organic media compared to basic condictions in aqueous solutions.
Any results yet?
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