Abstract: A series of polymers were prepared in different solvents using caffeine, methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the template molecule, functional monomer and cross-linking monomer, respectively. A number of preparation parameters were examined by ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy, including the kinds of solvent used for reaction, equilibration time and the media in terms of the selectivity and capacity of the bulk polymer obtained. The study revealed that both the rate of the polymerization and the characteristic of recognition for the substrate were affected by the porogen. The polymer obtained in acetonitrile gave the optimum selectivity and capacity for caffeine.
Template and target information: caffeine
Author keywords: molecular imprinting, caffeine, UV-visible spectrophotometry