Tailor-Made Polydiacetylene Micelles for the Catalysis of 1,3-Dipolar Cycloadditions in Water

Abstract

A colloidal catalyst was developed by complexation of copper chloride in polydiacetylene micelles. The latter were designed to accommodate and stabilize copper salts, by providing a suitable ligand environment. Micelles were valorized as nanoreactors for the promotion of the Huisgen cycloaddition reaction in water thanks to their central hydrophobic core which permitted not only aqueous dispersion, but also concentration of the reagents at the vicinity of the catalyst. The system was found to be active on a variety of substrates and efficiently operated under sustainable conditions. (Figure presented.).