Abstract

The series Advances in Dendritic Macromolecules aims to cover the synthesis and supramolecular chemistry of dendritic or cascade super-molecules as well as their less perfect hyperbranched cousins.
The field of hyperbranched macromolecules, specifically dendrimers, has continued to expand at an amazing rate. The synthetic aspects, which were assumed to be over several years ago, have opened new avenues into the mesomolecular regime. The synthetic ingenuity of chemical artists has afforded new monomers and their diverse combinations to give rise to (poly)functionalized materials that embrace new supramolecular concepts in areas such as molecular recognition, assembly, encapsulation, and inclusion; catalysts; coatings; drug delivery systems; and in essence opens up the field of suprasupermolecular chemistry.
In chapter 1 the synthesis of organometallic and related transition metal-cotaining dendrimers is summarized and their novel properties and useful applications are described. Chapter 2 covers work on the commercial poly(propylene imine)s, including the "dendritic box", dendrimer-based superamphiphiles, and unimolecular inverse micelles. The next chapter looks at aspects of chirality in dendritic systems and this is followed by a look inside dendrimers from a molecular topologist's point-of-view.