Boronic Acid Modulators of Polydopamine Polymerizations
Location
Science Center Perlik Commons
Document Type
Poster - Open Access
Start Date
5-13-2022 12:00 PM
End Date
5-13-2022 2:00 PM
Abstract
The structure of polydopamine, a dopamine-based analog of the naturally occurring polymer melanin, is not completely understood. Dopamine and subsequent intermediates in the polymerization contain the catechol functional group, which is known to interact with another class of compounds, called boronic acids. We have been testing how boronic affect the polymerization rate of dopamine in solution to learn more about the polymer's structure, as well as catalog which boronic acids serve as good inhibitors. Polydopamine has many applications in materials science and its synthesis can potentially be tailored for different applications by using boronic acid inhibitors. The focus of our experiments this year has been to determine a reliable procedure for the synthesis of polydopamine, as well as how the inhibiting effect of various boronic acids impacts the polymerization process. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy and reactions in 96-well plates, fifteen boronic acids and related compounds have been tested at different concentrations and different points in the polymerization. This poster will describe our development of the assay and our initial progress toward using boronic acids to help understand the structure and activity of polydopamine.
Keywords:
Polydopamine, Boronic acid, Polymerization
Recommended Citation
Fenster, Leah; Oh, Mina; Pfenning, Christian; and Livingstone, Sean, "Boronic Acid Modulators of Polydopamine Polymerizations" (2022). Research Symposium. 4.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2022/posters/4
Major
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Project Mentor(s)
Jason Belitsky, Chemistry and Biochemistry
2022
Boronic Acid Modulators of Polydopamine Polymerizations
Science Center Perlik Commons
The structure of polydopamine, a dopamine-based analog of the naturally occurring polymer melanin, is not completely understood. Dopamine and subsequent intermediates in the polymerization contain the catechol functional group, which is known to interact with another class of compounds, called boronic acids. We have been testing how boronic affect the polymerization rate of dopamine in solution to learn more about the polymer's structure, as well as catalog which boronic acids serve as good inhibitors. Polydopamine has many applications in materials science and its synthesis can potentially be tailored for different applications by using boronic acid inhibitors. The focus of our experiments this year has been to determine a reliable procedure for the synthesis of polydopamine, as well as how the inhibiting effect of various boronic acids impacts the polymerization process. Using UV-Vis spectroscopy and reactions in 96-well plates, fifteen boronic acids and related compounds have been tested at different concentrations and different points in the polymerization. This poster will describe our development of the assay and our initial progress toward using boronic acids to help understand the structure and activity of polydopamine.
