Abstract: A series of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPS) is synthesized using 4-nitrophenol, a product analogue of the nitration reaction as the template. The imprinted polymers are characterized by means of modern analyses, such as surface and pore analysis. The enzymatic performances of the imprinted polymers are evaluated by catalyzing the nitration reaction of NO2 and molecular O2. The effect of type of functional monomers, as well as degree of cross-linking on the regioselectivity of nitration reaction, is studied. The results indicate that the imprinted polymers synthesized by methacrylic acid as functional monomer exhibite the best regioselectivity, yielding up to 49.6% pare and 44.1% ortho isomer of nitrotoluene
Template and target information: 4-nitrophenol
Author keywords: Bionic catalysis, Molecularly imprinted polymers, NO2 nitration, Regioselectivity, toluene