Effects of polymer architecture and nanoenvironment in acylation reactions employing dendritic (Dialkylamino)pyridine catalysts

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ma050701m

The role of architecture and nanoenvironment in the catalytic properties of dendritic polymers containing 4-(dialkylamino)pyridines was investigated in the context of acylation reactions employing sterically demanding tertiary alcohols as substrates. Frechet-type benzyl ether and aliphatic ester dendrimers were prepared in a convergent manner from a common trivalent core containing three DMAP groups while a linear polymer was dendronized with aliphatic esters using a divergent growth scheme. Catalysis experiments clearly indicate that nanoenvironment plays the dominant role in determining the activity of the polymer catalysts, with the polyester platform being superior to the benzyl ether. Polymer architecture played little or no role in affecting catalysis. With respect to molecular transport and catalysis, this represents the first comparative study of the effect of architecture and nanoenvironment using structurally similar dendritic materials.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ma050701m

Macromolecules 2005, 38, 5411-5415
5411
Effects of Polymer Architecture and Nanoenvironment in Acylation
Reactions Employing Dendritic (Dialkylamino)pyridine Catalysts
Brett Helms,† Catherine O. Liang,† Craig J. Hawker,‡ and Jean M. J. Fre´chet*,†
Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-1460, and Material
Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, and Materials
Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
Received April 4, 2005; Revised Manuscript Received April 27, 2005
ABSTRACT: The role of architecture and nanoenvironment in the catalytic properties of dendritic
polymers containing 4-(dialkylamino)pyridines was investigated in the context of acylation reactions
employing sterically demanding tertiary alcohols as substrates. Fre´chet-type benzyl ether and aliphatic
ester dendrimers were prepared in a convergent manner from a common trivalent core containing three
DMAP groups while a linear polymer was dendronized with aliphatic esters using a divergent growth
scheme. Catalysis experiments clearly indicate that nanoenvironment plays the dominant role in
determining the activity of the polymer catalysts, with the polyester platform being superior to the benzyl
ether. Polymer architecture played little or no role in affecting catalysis. With respect to molecular
transport and catalysis, this represents the first comparative study of the effect of architecture and
nanoenvironment using structurally similar dendritic materials.
Introduction
During the past few decades, interest in organoca-
talysis has grown in part due to its important role in
the economically and ecologically sound production of
fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals.1-3 Research in this
field is typically divided into the main areas of homo-
geneous and heterogeneous catalysis.4 While the former
offers the unique advantage of well-defined catalytic
sites that can systematically be optimized, the latter is
of great industrial importance due to the inherent
retention of the catalysts, which facilitates product
separation.5,6 In recent years, functional polymers car-
rying catalytically active sites have emerged that com-
bine the advantages of both homogeneous and hetero-
geneouscatalysis.Inparticular,polymericmacromolecules
with branched architectures, such as dendrimers, have
proven effective as nanoscale reactors to affect specific
chemical transformations within a controlled environ-
ment.7-11
Dendrimers have received considerable attention with
regard to catalysis due to (a) the possibility of catalyst
recovery using membrane or nanofiltration techniques,
(b) the control of catalyst activity through its nanoen-
vironment, (c) the alteration of catalyst solubility by
peripheral modification, and (d) the potential for positive
cooperative interactions between the catalytically active
subunits. Depending on the location of the catalytic site-
(s), dendritic catalysts with either multiple peripheral
active sites11-18 or a catalytically active core19-22 have
been described. The first approach offers the advantage
of relatively high catalyst loading; however, the den-
dritic backbone merely serves as a support, and no
benefit is derived from its unique structural and func-
tional features. In contrast, the second approach enables
encapsulation23 of the active site, thereby offering
protection from deactivation. Moreover, the placement
Figure 1. Acylation of alcohols by polymer-supported 4-(di-
alkylamino)pyridines.
of catalytic moieties at the core or the interior of a
globular dendritic structure allows for the fine-tuning
of overall molecular properties and catalytic activity by
modification of the periphery and the interior environ-
ment, respectively. Such properties, resulting from
dendritic encapsulation, are frequently found in natural
enzymatic systems where they are employed to high
efficacy.
To this end, we report our investigation of dendritic
polymer architectures employing a radial gradient of
polarity around a catalytic core for the design of new
macromolecular catalysts. Given the fundamental na-
ture of this study, we chose to focus on acylation
reactions, specifically the esterification of sterically
hindered tertiary alcohols by an anhydride using 4-(di-
alkylamino)pyridines24,25 as the catalysts (Figure 1). Our
group has previously synthesized heterogeneous, poly-
mer-supported 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine beads26,27 whose
activity compared favorably to the widely used 4-(di-
methylamino)pyridine (DMAP). However, it was found
that highly loaded beads were susceptible to product
inhibition as well as self-inhibitory, nonproductive ef-
fects between neighboring catalytic residues. The rate
of reaction was also highly dependent on the catalysts’
local microenvironment, making this an attractive
system to study with better-defined macromolecules.
Three such macromolecular catalysts have been pre-
pared from different dendritic platforms and interior
functionality in order to assess the effects of polymer
architecture and local nanoenvironment on the catalytic
† University of California, Berkeley, and LBNL.
‡ University of California, Santa Barbara.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed: e-mail
frechet@berkeley.edu.
10.1021/ma050701m CCC: $30.25 © 2005 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 05/19/2005

5412 Helms et al.
Macromolecules, Vol. 38, No. 13, 2005
Figure 3. MALDI-TOF spectra for dendrimers 1 (top) and
2 (bottom).
either poly(benzyl ether) or poly(aliphatic ester) den-
drons, respectively (Figure 2). We also tested a den-
dronized linear polymer 3 containing 4-(pyrrolidino)-
pyridine (PPY) units along its backbone surrounded by
poly(aliphatic ester) dendrons (Figure 2).28 In comparing
the catalytic activity between dendrimers 1 and 2, we
probe the specific role of the polymeric nanoenviron-
ment. In contrast, a comparison of dendrimer 2 and the
dendronized linear polymer 3 probes the role of polymer
architecture. We hypothesize that in utilizing amphi-
philic, branched polymer architectures for DAP-cata-
lyzed acylations there would be substantial opportunity
to prevent product inhibition using a free energy-driven
catalytic pump7,22-23 that favors the migration of the
less polar acetylated substrate back into the nonpolar
medium. In addition, the precise placement of DAP and
PPY moieties within the dendritic interiors was ex-
pected to mitigate neighboring-residue deactivation,
seen previously in highly loaded beads, due to their site
isolation within a more shape-persistent nanoenviron-
ment.
Experimental Section
Preparation of Dendritic Catalysts. Dendrimers 1 and
2 were synthesized in a convergent manner29 from dendrons
containing a carboxylic acid at their focal point and a triamino
core containing three 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine residues. The
benzyl ether and aliphatic ester third-generation dendrons
were prepared in high yield using standard methodologies.30-32
The 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine-containing core 4 was synthe-
sized by reductive amination of 1,3,5-triformylbenzene with
4-[(2′-aminoethyl)methylamino]pyridine, which was prepared
in two steps from 4-[(2′-hydroxyethyl)methylamino]pyridine
using a Gabriel synthesis approach (Scheme 1). The third-
generation dendrimers were obtained in moderate yields via
an amidation between the DMAP core and either of the alkyl-
terminated dendrons (Scheme 2). The catalyst loading in 1 and
2 (416 and 372 µmol/g, respectively) was confirmed by UV
spectroscopy using DMAP for the calibration curve in hexane.
The integrity of these materials was established by NMR,
elemental analysis, GPC, and MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy
(Figure 3) (see Supporting Information).
The dendronized linear polymer 3 was synthesized as
previously described, using a divergent growth approach from
a linear cyclocopolymer prepared from diallylamine and
4-(diallylamino)pyridine.28,33-34 The pyrrolidine groups of the
cyclocopolymer were reacted with an isopropylidene-protected
bis(hydroxymethyl)propionic acid anhydride.22,32 Subsequent
deprotection of the 1,3-diols under acidic conditions activates
the end groups for further dendrimer growth. The fourth-
generation material was end-capped with myristoyl groups to
produce the final catalyst. The catalyst loading in 3 (17.1 µmol/
g) was calculated by UV spectroscopy using PPY for the
calibration curve in hexane. The ratio of catalyst repeat units
to dendron repeat units was measured to be 1:11.
Figure 2. Dendritic 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine catalysts used
in this study.
properties of the material. Specifically, we describe
herein the synthesis of two dendrimers, each containing
three 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine (DAP) moieties within
their interiors. Dendrimers 1 and 2 have a common
nonpolar corona and triamino core to which is appended

Macromolecules, Vol. 38, No. 13, 2005
Acylation Reactions Employing DMAP Catalysts 5413
Scheme 2. Convergent Synthesis of Dendrimers 1
and 2 from Trivalent Core 4
Figure 4. Acylation of 1-methylcyclohexanol (0.50 M in
hexanes) at 22 °C using 5 mol % 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine
catalysts and 1.5 equiv of acetic anhydride and triethylamine.
Scheme 1. Synthesis of
4-(Dialkylaminopyridine)-Containing Triamino Core
(4) for Dendrimers
drimer 2, taking into account the fact that three 4-(dialkyl-
amino)pyridines reside in each dendrimer molecule. The
reaction progress, monitored over a 120 h period, is shown in
Figure 4. In the second set of experiments, linalool (0.15 M in
cyclohexane) was reacted at 60 °C with a 3-fold excess of both
pivalic anhydride and triethylamine. As described above, the
catalyzed reactions employed the equivalent of 2.5 mol % of
DMAP, dendrimer 1, dendrimer 2, or dendronized linear
polymer 3, accounting for the multiplicity of 4-(dialkylamino)-
pyridines in each. Figure 5 gives the conversion with time over
the course of these experiments.
Catalyst recycling experiments were carried out with den-
drimers 1 and 2 using the acylation of 2-butanol as a measure
of their activity with repeated use. Each run was carried out
with 5 mol % dendrimer catalyst at 22 °C with a 3-fold excess
of acetic anhydride and triethylamine relative to 2-butanol (1.0
M in hexane). Conversion was measured by GC after 24 h. At
the end of each run, the reaction mixture was diluted with
hexane, washed with water, dried, and concentrated. The
crude mixture was then heated at 80 °C in vacuo for 24 h to
remove volatiles. The recovered dendrimers were examined
for volatile impurities using GC relative to tetralin as an
internal standard. In each case, there were less than 3%
impurities consisting primarily of acetic acid and 2-butanol
in the recovered polymer. This procedure was repeated four
times to establish a trend. These data are given in Table 1.
Catalyst recyclability had been previously identified for 3 as
involving a simple precipitation.28
Results and Discussion
Catalysis Experiments. Catalysis experiments were car-
ried out in sealed vials in a temperature-controlled oil bath.
Conversion was measured using gas chromatography (GC)
using tetralin as an internal standard. In the first set of
experiments, 1-methylcyclohexanol (0.50 M in hexane) was
reacted at 22 °C with 1.5 equiv of both acetic anhydride and
triethylamine. Catalyzed reactions employed 5 mol % of
DMAP, or the corresponding mol % of dendrimer 1 or den-
Earlier investigations into the transport properties of
dendritic materials with a radial gradient of polarity
had previously led to the development of the first
dendronized cyclocopolymer containing catalytic groups
along the linear backbone. In this report, we have
expanded our study to include dendronized variants

5414 Helms et al.
Macromolecules, Vol. 38, No. 13, 2005
70% with the polyester dendrimer, albeit at lower initial
rates than observed with DMAP. Significant differences
in initial rates were observed for dendrimers 1 and 2,
with the more compact polyester dendrimer outperform-
ing the dendrimer based on the polybenzyl ether plat-
form. We speculate that the polyester dendrimer is
better able to concentrate the substrates; however, it is
not clear whether this difference in initial rates derives
from other factors, including transition state stabiliza-
tion or other dielectric effects. In any event, nanoenvi-
ronment appears to be a dominant factor in catalysis
with DMAP-like moieties in polymers, an aspect that
manifests itself particularly with such well-defined
catalytic species as dendrimers.
The influence of polymer architecture on acylation
catalysis was discerned through the initial rates of
formation of linalyl pivalate from linalool and pivalic
anhydride. Given the highly hindered structure of the
reactants, an elevated temperature was required for this
reaction. Despite the difficult nature of the reaction, all
of the dendronized polymers were competent, even
outperforming DMAP. In the case of 3, 27% conversion
was reached after 120 h compared to 2% conversion for
DMAP alone during the same period. As with the
previous data, initial rates of reaction were highly
dependent on catalyst nanoenvironment, with the poly-
ester system being superior. The data also permit a
comparison between the different dendritic polymer
architectures 2 and 3. Relative to the initial rate of the
DMAP-catalyzed reaction, the dendrimer rate was 12.9
times faster while the dendronized linear polymer was
13.6 times faster. The difference, however, is not
significantly different at the 95% confidence level and
is most likely attributed to the difference in reactivity
between the DMAP-like and PPY-like groups in the
respective polymers.
Figure 5. Formation of linalyl pivalate from linalool (0.15 M
in cyclohexane) at 60 °C using 2.5 mol % 4-(dialkylamino)-
pyridine catalysts and 3 equiv of pivalic anhydride and
triethylamine.
Table 1. Catalyst Recycling Experiments for Dendrimers
1 and 2 Using the Acylation of 2-Butanol as a Diagnostic
yield (%) of sec-butyl acetate
run
dendrimer 1
dendrimer 2
Given the poor reactivity of DMAP under these
conditions, it is possible to invoke the “concentrator
effect” as a viable argument for the improved perfor-
mance of the polymer-based systems. In other words,
under these conditions DMAP does not appear to
compete favorably with the ability of the dendrimers or
dendronized polymer to concentrate a sterically de-
manding substrate such as linalool in closer proximity
to the pivalylpyridinium species within the interior
space of the polymers. Additionally, given the catalyst-
to-dendron ratio for dendronized polymer 3 and den-
drimer 2s1:11 and 1:1, respectivelysthere should be
considerably more void volume to fill with reactants in
the case of 3. If that is the case, the catalyzed reaction
using 3 should be more efficient respecting the higher
effective molarity of substrates and catalyst within the
dendritic interior. Given the absence of a significant
difference between the initial rates for 2 and 3, however,
it is likely that the rate-limiting step in these reactions
is more affected by the hindered nature of the substrates
rather than their higher effective concentration afforded
by the dendritic polymers.
1
2
3
4
85
82
83
81
90
92
88
89
that further probe the effects of nanoenvironment and
architecture on transport in the context of an organic
reaction catalyzed by 4-(dialkylamino)pyridines at the
interior of the macromolecules. Since 4-(dialkylamino)-
pyridines are extremely efficient at catalyzing reactions
requiring nucleophilic amines, our efforts were focused
toward substrates that may be outside the normal scope
afforded by these reagents. The slow and difficult
acylations of 1-methylcyclohexanol or linalool with
acetic anhydride or pivalic anhydride, respectively, fit
this criterion. Since the substrates exhibit a polar
character due to the presence of a hydroxyl group, they
should accumulate in the polar interior of the amphi-
phillic polymers when nonpolar solvents are used as
reaction media. This advantageous substrate precon-
centration shall hence be referred to as the “concentra-
tor effect”.
This “concentrator effect” was first examined with
dendrimer catalysts 1 and 2 by following the conversion
with time for the acylation of 1-methylcyclohexanol. At
5 mol % catalyst loading, the rate of formation of
1-methylcyclohexyl acetate was initially fastest with the
small molecule DMAP catalyst; however, conversion
appeared to level off at 45%. In contrast, each of the
reactions catalyzed by dendrimers 1 and 2 exhibited
monotonic increases in conversion with time, reaching
With respect to catalyst recyclability, dendronized
linear polymer 3 had been shown to retain activity after
simple precipitation from the crude reaction mixture
into methanol. The dendrimers could not be treated in
the same manner since they were isolated as oils.
Instead, it was possible reisolate the polymers after a
simple water wash to remove triethylammonium salts
followed by evaporation of volatiles in vacuo. The
recovered material was >97% pure in most cases, and

Macromolecules, Vol. 38, No. 13, 2005
Acylation Reactions Employing DMAP Catalysts 5415
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Yields for simple acylations, such as 2-butanol, were
consistent with the literature values for DMAP or PPY
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Using amphiphilic 4-(dialkylamino)pyridine contain-
ing dendrimers 1 and 2 and dendronized polymer 3, we
have examined the role of catalyst nanoenvironment
and polymer architecture in the context of sterically
demanding acylation reactions employing tertiary al-
cohols and various anhydride electrophiles. The data
clearly indicate a preference for the more compact
polyester-based polymers 2 and 3. These polymers were
found to promote the desired transformations with
greater efficacy than polymers based on a benzyl ether
platform and in some instances with greater efficacy
than the small-molecule catalyst DMAP. The rationale
for this behavior has been attributed to a “concentrator
effect” whereby reactions employing the polymer cata-
lysts benefit from the gradient polarity of the core-shell
macromolecules that accumulates substrates within the
interior of the polymers, in closer proximity to the
catalytic moieties than would be possible in solution
with free catalyst. Moreover, since the product of the
acylation reaction is more nonpolar than its alcohol
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