Probing secondary coordination sphere interactions within porphyrin-cored polymer nanoparticles

Abstract

A suite of zinc porphyrin-cored random coil polymers and polymeric nanoparticles with varying degrees of potential hydrogen bonding character and steric bulk were synthesized and characterized to study secondary coordination sphere interactions. The reaction of cyanide with N,N-dimethylformamide in the presence of porphyrin-cored polymeric nanoparticles was monitored via UV-Vis spectroscopy. It is shown that the zinc porphyrin-cored polymers and nanoparticles catalyzed the reaction of cyanide with N,N-dimethylformamide with the highest reaction rates occurring with polymeric nanoparticles with a greater number of potential hydrogen bond donors and greater steric bulk.