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Racemic synthetic polymers and chirality

  • Chirality in Chemistry and Biophysics
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Abstract

This review is mainly devoted to the chiral-optical behavior in the solid state of racemic synthetic polymers, which are able to form co-crystalline phases with low molecular mass guest molecules and whose chirality is induced by non-racemic (also temporary) guest molecules. The article starts with the description of chiral features relevant for the synthesis of stereoregular polymers. Subsequently, the chirality of chain helicity and the related phenomena of macromolecular amplification of chirality, both in solution and in the solid state, are discussed. The final part of the article describes the recent achievement of robust chiral-optical films being constituted by a racemic commercial host polymer and achiral guest chromophores.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. L. Cavallo, Prof. L. Guadagno, Prof. V. Venditto and Dr. C. Daniel of University of Salerno and Prof. C. De Rosa, Prof. V. Petraccone and Dr. Oreste Tarallo of University of Naples for the contributions to the reviewed research work. Financial support of the “Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca” (PRIN) and of “Regione Campania” (CdCR) is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia, INSTM and NANOMATES Research Units, Università degli Studi di Salerno, via Ponte Don Melillo, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Gaetano Guerra & Paola Rizzo

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  1. Gaetano Guerra
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  2. Paola Rizzo
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Correspondence to Gaetano Guerra.

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Guerra, G., Rizzo, P. Racemic synthetic polymers and chirality. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 24, 217–226 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-013-0238-0

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