Synthetic polymers self-assembling into catalytic structures

Modern organic chemists have access to a huge range of different chemical reactions and, these days, even the most complicated natural product could probably be synthesised if somebody wanted to. However, nature still does chemistry a hell of a lot better than even the best organic chemist; enzymes allow even the simplest organism to catalytically (and often asymmetrically) carry out organic reactions at room temperature in an aqueous environment. Being able an enzyme’s characteristics artificially would be, obviously, hugely advantageous. And there are a number of project on-going particularly using supramolecular chemistry, dendrimers or polymers. Another method, one of the first in a completely aqueous environment, has been described in a short communication in Angerwandte by the Palmans group. It utilises a simple polymer functionalised with L-proline allowing it to diastereoselectively catalyse an aldol reaction with cyclohexanone and p-nitrobenzaldehyde.