Molecular imprinting of carboxylic acids employing novel functional macroporous polymers

Imprinted network polymers incorporating basic functional groups were devel oped to assess the binding and specificity of carboxylic acids. The binding affinities were determined using t-BOC-phenylalanine and 2-phenylbutyric a cid as templates and substrates. Chiral. selectivity for the enantiomers of t-BOC-phenylalanine was found for polymers incorporating adenine or 2-amin opyridine functionality. Chiral selectivity in the case of (R)-(-)-2-phenyl butyric acid was found for the polymer utilizing N-(2-aminoethyl) methacryl amide as the functional monomer. Optimization of binding was achieved by ch anging polymerization conditions (thermal versus photochemical polymerizati on, monomer:template ratio) for t-BOC-phenylalanine imprinted polymers empl oying the N-(2-aminopyridine) methacrylamide monomer.