Monodisperse macromolecules via the Passerini reaction

In nature, DNA, peptides and proteins are high-precision macromolecules with perfectly defined primary structures. DNA, for instance, carries the genetic information of living organisms and provides the information necessary for the generation of essential proteins for biochemical processes, such as self-replication, biocatalysis, selfassembly and molecular recognition, which play an important role in living organisms. Inspired by the highly defined structures of these biomolecules, scientists have explored a new field of research: the synthesis and characterization of sequence-defined macromolecules. In 2013, sequence-controlled polymers were first defined in a review by Lutz, Ouchi and Sawamoto as follows: “…macromolecules in which monomer units of different chemical nature are arranged in an ordered fashion.” Initially, the synthesis of these defined and structurally complex macromolecules was the focus of attention, and scientists have researched and developed different synthetic routes and improved the degree of precision and control. Three different strategies are mainly used: the iterative stepwise method, the two-way (i.e. bidirectional) growth method and the iterative exponential growth method. ... mehrThe iterative stepwise method allows each monomer unit to be controlled as much as possible. The exponential growth strategy (IEG) and the two-way growth strategy can more quickly construct uniform macromolecules, but are limited in terms of the degree of definition. Different synthetic strategies can be carried out in solution, in the solid phase or in the fluorine phase. Multicomponent reactions are ideal for synthesizing sequence-defined oligomers due to their high yields and selectivity. Furthermore, due to their highly modular nature, it is straightforward to introduce different functionalities in the side chains or main chains to increase the structural diversity of the oligomers. A common multicomponent reaction for synthesizing sequence-defined oligomers is the Passerini three-component reaction. It can be used alone or in combination with other reactions to provide an efficient route for synthesizing different structures and sequences. After reporting many different sequence-defined oligomer synthesis methods, some research groups have used tandem mass spectrometry, single mass spectrometry and other analytical methods to read out the sequence, proving its application in the field of data storage.