Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Toward Macromolecular Shape And Size Control: Novel Enantioselective Nitrations And Iterative Exponential Growth Methods For Polymer Synthesis, Joseph Patrick Campbell

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Chirality is a key principle in organic chemistry. All chiral compounds are non-superimposable mirror images of each other and therefore lack an improper axis of rotation (Sn). These mirror images often have identical properties in an achiral environment, however when two chiral molecules interact, they produce different shapes and properties. Nature, to this extent takes advantage of this aspect through unique formation of shape defined biological macromolecules that are tailored to carry out various life processes. This level of shape control is only made possible because of natural chiral monomers such as amino acids or glycosides that make up such …