Precision in macromolecular synthesis: when, where, and how much do the details matter?

MSU St. Andrews is pleased to host the Turner J. Alfrey visiting professorship series on May 23 and 24. Johnson will provide four workshops with discussion, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, on each day.

Motivated by nature, polymer chemists have long sought methods and strategies for the synthesis of macromolecules with precise structures. Existing approaches typically require a trade-off between structural control and atom economy/scalability. Seeking more efficient strategies, and driven by specific functional targets, we have developed approaches that simultaneously offer enhanced precision and efficiency in a variety of contexts. This symposium will highlight several of these efforts, which include:

• Iterative exponential growth plus sidechain functionalization (IEG+);

• Brush-first ring-opening metathesis polymerization;

• N-heterocyclic carbene surface anchors;

• photo-redox catalyzed growth and network disassembly spectrometry.

The advantages of these approaches for achieving new or otherwise difficult-to-access functions will be discussed in the broader context of precision in macromolecular synthesis.