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  • In-situ noncovalent interac...
    Zhang, Zongnan; Lv, Xueli; Mu, Xin; Zhao, Mengyao; Wang, Sichang; Ke, Congyu; Ding, Shujiang; Zhou, Dezhong; Wang, Minyan; Zeng, Rong

    Nature communications, 05/2024, Volume: 15, Issue: 1
    Journal Article

    The noncovalent interactions of ammonium ion with multidentate oxygen-based host has never been reported as a reacting center in catalytic reactions. In this work, we report a reactivity enhancement process enabled by non-covalent interaction of ammonium ion, achieving the C-H functionalization of polyethylene glycols with acrylates by utilizing photoinduced co-catalysis of iridium and quinuclidine. A broad scope of alkenes can be tolerated without observing significant degradation. Moreover, this cyano-free condition respectively allows the incorporation of bioactive molecules and the PEGylation of dithiothreitol-treated bovine serum albumin, showing great potentials in drug delivery and protein modification. DFT calculations disclose that the formed α-carbon radical adjacent to oxygen-atom is reduced directly by iridium before acrylate addition. And preliminary mechanistic experiments reveal that the noncovalent interaction of PEG chain with the formed quinuclidinium species plays a unique role as a catalytic site by facilitating the proton transfer and ultimately enabling the transformation efficiently.