6.1 Thiol–Ene/Yne Click Reactions: A Powerful Tool Toward Diversity-Oriented Synthesis

The clickable addition reaction between thiols and unsaturated compounds leading to the generation of (branched/linear) thioethers or (branched/linear) vinyl sulfides is known as the hydrothiolation reaction. Based upon the nature of unsaturation, i.e. double bond or triple bond, hydrothiolation reactions are classified as thiol–ene and thiol–yne click reactions, respectively. These reactions have emerged as a powerful and widely used strategy for the generation of carbon–sulfur bonds due to several associated benefits including versatile synthetic procedures, wide functional-group tolerance, high atom economy with few to no byproducts, and simple purification. The hydrothiolation reactions have numerous trapping applications in the fields of polymer chemistry, nanoengineering, pharmaceuticals, natural products, and perhaps most importantly in medicinal chemistry for the synthesis of many drugs and bioactive molecules.

Pharmaceutical formulation and polymer chemistry for cell encapsulation applied to the creation of a lab-on-a-chip bio-microsystem.

Microencapsulation of formulation designs further expands the field and offers the potential for use in developing bioartificial organs via cell encapsulation. Combining formulation design and encapsulation requires ideal excipients to be determined. In terms of cell encapsulation, an environment which allows growth and functionality is paramount to ensuring cell survival and incorporation into a bioartificial organ. Hence, excipients are examined for both individual properties and benefits, and compatibility with encapsulated active materials. Polymers are commonly used in microencapsulation, offering protection from the immune system. Bile acids are emerging as a tool to enhance delivery, both biologically and pharmaceutically. Therefore, this review will focus on bile acids and polymers in formulation design via microencapsulation, in the field of bioartificial organ development.

Tradition and innovation in polymer chemistry and technology

The main directions of scientific research on the chemistry and technology of plastic masses performed at the St.Petersburg State Institute of Technology (Technical University) are defined. The article is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor Anatoly Fedorovich Nikolaev.