Surface functional polymer library by post-polymerisation modification using diarylmethylenes: metal ligand catch and release

Functionalised diarylcarbenes can be used as anchoring agents for the introduction of metal chelating ligands onto the surface of a polystyrene substrate, rapidly creating a library of chelating polymers from a common precursor; although exemplified for polystyrene, the method is potentially applicable to a wide range of polymer substrates. Evaluation of the binding of zinc complexes followed by ligand transfer and release of copper complexes indicated that a pyridyl modified system offered considerable potential for application in the rapid generation of ligand systems of relevance for radiopharmaceutical synthesis. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012