Nanosized reactors based on polyethyleneimines: from microheterogeneous systems to immobilized catalysts

Langmuir. 2007 Mar 13;23(6):3214-24. doi: 10.1021/la0629633. Epub 2007 Feb 10.

Abstract

Effective nanoreactors based on polyethyleneimines (PEIs) for the hydrolytic cleavage of O-alkyl O-p-nitrophenyl chloromethylphosphonates (alkyl = ethyl, hexyl) and di(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate were developed in conformity with the idea of modeling the polyfunctional catalytic mechanism of enzymes. A step-by-step modification of the single PEI solution by additives with their own catalytic activities (sodium dodecyl sulfate and lanthanum salt) gave rise to a marked improvement in the reaction efficiency. A 104-106-fold acceleration of the reaction compared to the aqueous basic hydrolysis of the substrates was achieved in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyethyleneimine-La(III) ternary system. This system can be considered to be metallomicelles immobilized on a hydrophilic polymer matrix. When the PEI immobilized on silica gel was used as a catalyst, the full completion of the reaction was achieved for 100 min under mild conditions, while the half-life of the reaction in a comparable homogeneous regime exceeds 100 h.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Catalysis
  • Enzymes / chemistry
  • Hydrolysis
  • Lanthanum / chemistry
  • Micelles
  • Models, Chemical
  • Nanoparticles*
  • Particle Size
  • Polyethyleneimine / chemistry*
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Potentiometry
  • Salts / chemistry
  • Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate / chemistry
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry
  • Temperature

Substances

  • Enzymes
  • Micelles
  • Polymers
  • Salts
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
  • Lanthanum
  • Polyethyleneimine