Polyphenylenepyridyl Dendrons with Functional Periphery and Focal Points: Syntheses and Applications

For the first time we report syntheses of a family of functional polyphenylenepyridyl dendrons with different generations and structures such as focal groups, periphery, and a combination of phenylene and pyridyl moieties in the dendron interior using a Diels-Alder approach and a divergent method. The dendron structure and composition were confirmed using NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, FTIR, and elemental analysis. As a proof of concept that these dendrons can be successfully used for the development of nanocomposites, synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles was carried out in the presence of thermally stable dendrons as capping molecules followed by formation of Pd NPs in the dendron shells. This resulted in magnetically recoverable catalysts exhibiting exceptional performance in selective hydrogenation of dimethylethynylcarbinol (DMEC) to dimethylvinylcarbinol (DMVC).