This thesis focuses on the development of carbohydrate coupling chemistry on nanomaterials and their biological activity studies. It is divided into two parts: In part one, two carbohydrate immobilization approaches, based on perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA)-functionalized silica nanoparticles (SNPs), are presented, where the binding affinity of the glyconanoparticles was evaluated through carbohydrate-lectin interaction. In the first approach, PFPAfunctionalized SNPs were treated with propargylated glycosides and functionalized under copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) conditions to give glyconanoparticles. For the second approach, a metal-free coupling chemistry based on perfluorophenyl azide-aldehyde-amine cycloaddition (AAAC) was developed for carbohydrate immobilization on PFPA-functionalized SNPs using glycosyl amine and phenylacetaldehyde. Subsequently, a quantitative fluorine nuclear magnetic resonance (19F qNMR) technique was developed to determine the carbohydrate density on the glyconanoparticles. The addition of an internal standard allowed the accurate determination of carbohydrate density, which was then used to calculate the apparent dissociation constant (Kd ) of the glyconanoparticles with lectin by a ligand competition assay. The developed approaches proved general and versatile, and the carbohydrate-presenting nanoplatforms showed high binding specificity in lectin binding. In part two, microwave irradiation was used to functionalize carbon nanomaterials with PFPA followed by carbohydrate conjugation. The microwave-assisted method proved efficient for a number of carbon nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and fullerene. The carbohydrates on the glyconanomaterials retained their binding patterns towards cognate lectins. / <p>QC 20150907</p>

Des blocs de verre archéologique provenant d’une épave découverte près de l’île des Embiez (Var) en mer Méditerranée ont été étudiés en raison de leur analogie morphologique avec les verres nucléaires et de leur environnement connu et stable. Fracturés à l’issue de leur élaboration (comme les verres nucléaires), ces verres se sont altérés près de 1800 ans en eau de mer. Ce travail a abouti au développement et à la validation d’un modèle géochimique capable de simuler l’altération d’un bloc de verre archéologique fracturé au bout de 1800 ans. Les expériences ont permis de déterminer les constantes cinétiques des mécanismes en jeu (interdiffusion et dissolution du réseau vitreux) et les paramètres thermodynamiques (affinité, phases secondaires) de ce modèle. Celui-ci, implémenté dans HYTEC a permis de simuler l’altération de fissures sur 1800 ans. La cohérence des épaisseurs d’altération simulées et des valeurs mesurées sur les blocs valide la capacité prédictive du modèle. Ce modèle permet alors d’expliquer les résultats issus de la caractérisation du réseau de fissures et de son état d’altération. Les fissures de la zone externe du bloc sont les plus altérées du fait du renouvellement rapide de la solution, alors que les fissures internes ont des épaisseurs très fines à cause du couplage entre l’altération du verre et le transport des éléments en solution (effet de l’ouverture initiale et du colmatage). Les résultats expliquent non seulement les épaisseurs les plus fines, mais aussi leur variabilité. Le comportement analogue des verres archéologiques et nucléaires permet d’envisager une transposition de ce modèle aux verres nucléaires en condition de stockage géologique / Fractured archaeological glass blocks collected from a shipwreck discovered in the Mediterranean Sea near Embiez Island (Var) were investigated because of their morphological analogy with vitrified nuclear waste and of a known and stable environment. These glasses are fractured due to a fast cooling after they were melted (like nuclear glass) and have been altered for 1800 years in seawater. This work results in the development and the validation of a geochemical model able to simulate the alteration of a fractured archaeological glass block over 1800 years. The kinetics associated with the different mechanisms (interdiffusion and dissolution) and the thermodynamic parameters of the model were determined by leaching experiments. The model implemented in HYTEC software was used to simulate crack alteration over 1800 years. The consistency between simulated alteration thicknesses and measured data on glass blocks validate the capacity of the model to predict long-term alteration. This model is able to account for the results from the characterization of crack network and its state of alteration. The cracks in the border zone are the most altered due to a fast renewal of the leaching solution, whereas internal cracks are thin because of complex interactions between glass alteration and transport of elements in solution (influence of initial crack aperture and of the crack sealing). The lowest alteration thicknesses, as well as their variability, can be explained. The analog behavior of archaeological and nuclear glasses from leaching experiments makes possible the transposition of the model to nuclear glass in geological repository

The development of materials for advanced applications requires innovative macromolecules with well-defined structures and the inherent ability to be tailored in a straightforward manner. Dendrimers, being a subgroup of the dendritic polymer family, possess properties which fulfill such demands. They have a highly branched architecture with a high number of functional groups and are one of the most well-defined types of macromolecules ever synthesized. However, despite their well-defined nature and high functional density, traditional dendrimers commonly lack diverse chemical functionalities. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the synthesis of more complex dendritic materials to extend their tailoring capacity by introduction of dualfunctionalities for multipurpose actions. It covers the synthesis of dualfunctional dendrimers, dendritic modification of linear poly(ethylene glycol) polymers and cellulose surfaces, and the synthesis of linear dendritic hybrids. The building blocks enabling this synthesis, AB2C monomers, were also developed during this work. The orthogonal nature between click groups (azide, alkyne and alkene) and hydroxyl groups have efficiently been utilized for postfunctionalization by robust click chemistry and traditional esterification reactions. Furthermore, linear dendritic hybrids were synthesized, merging the properties of linear and dendritic macromolecules. The dendritic frameworks were tailored towards the production of bone fracture adhesives, novel biofunctional dendritic hydrogels, biosensors and micellar drug delivery vehicles. / Utveckling av material för avancerade applikationer kräver innovativa makromolekyler med väldefinierade strukturer och som kan skräddarsys på ett enkelt sätt. Dendrimerer är en undergrupp av dendritiska polymerer vars egenskaper uppfyller dessa krav. De har en mycket förgrenad arkitektur med många funktionella grupper och är en av de mest väldefinierade befintliga syntetiska makromolekylerna. Trots dess väldefinierade karaktär och höga funktionalitet saknar ofta traditionella dendrimerer multipla kemiska funktionaliteter. Denna avhandling fokuserar därför på syntesen av mer komplexa dendritiska material för att förbättra deras kapacitet att skräddarsys, detta görs genom att introducera fler funktionaliteter som kan utnyttjas för multipla ändamål . Avhandlingen redogör för syntesen av difunktionella dendrimerer, dendritiska modifikationer av polyetylenglykol och cellulosaytor samt syntes av traditionella dendritiska hybrider. Byggstenarna som möjliggör syntesen, AB2C monomerer, framställdes också under detta arbete. Den ortogonala karaktären mellan klick grupper (azid, alkyn och alkene) och hydroxylgrupper har utnyttjats effektivt för funktionaliseringar genom användande av robust ”Click”-kemi och traditionella esterifikationsreaktioner. Vidare tillverkades de linjära dendritiska hybrider för att kombinera egenskaperna hos både linjära och traditionella dendritiska polymerer i en och samma makromolekyl. Samtliga dendritiska strukturer skräddarsyddes för applikationer så som benlimmer, biofunktionella dendritiska hydrogeler, biosensorer och läkemedels-bärande miceller. / <p>QC 20130830</p>

In today s world, the need to limit the use of nonrenewable resources and the importance of recycling has been recognized. One important contribution of chemists toward the general goal of limiting their use is to find catalysts that can be reused and recycled thereby limiting the need for expensive metal precursors and metal waste. Strategies to recycle catalysts are multifold and range from the employment of soluble polymers as catalyst supports to the use of membrane-encapsulated catalyst. The use of soluble polymers as a support not only offers the advantage of being soluble under the catalytic reaction conditions but also, to be removable by changing the conditions of the surrounding media. Despite the great potential of these soluble supported catalysts, their use is very limited in today s synthesis. In addition, no set of rules have been established to guide the synthesis of efficient supported catalysts. In order to establish a tool box for the synthesis of supported catalysts, the study of several parameters such as the choice of the support and the choice and the stability of the catalyst are necessary. To establish this set of rules, a limited number of catalytic transformations, were studied. These catalytic reactions are the Heck-Mizoroki, Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira coupling reactions. These transformations became fundamental for the synthesis of drugs and materials. The first and second chapters provide background information by describing and evaluating the main supports that were previously used for catalysts and the two main catalysts that are used in this thesis, the palladium pincer complex and the palladium N-heterocyclic complex. In chapter 3, the synthesis of a soluble polymer supported catalyst is described. The polymer chosen for the study is poly(norbornene), and the catalyst is a 1,3-disubstituted benzene ligand with sulfurs in the side-chains able to chelate to the metal center, better known as pincer ligand. These ligands are abbreviated by the three atoms that coordinate to the metal center, in this study, SCS. The metal used for the investigation of the activity of this supported pincer is palladium. The importance of the nature of the linkage on the stability of the Pd-SCS pincer complex has been reported in the literature, leading to the synthesis of Pd-SCS pincer complex tethered to the polymer via an ether and an amide linkage. The synthesized poly(norbornene) supported Pd-SCS pincer complexes were evaluated using the Heck transformation of iodobenzene with n-butyl acrylate. Kinetic studies and leaching tests using poly(vinyl pyridine) and mercury were carried out resulting in the conclusion that the active species during the catalysis is not the palladium pincer complex but a leached palladium (0) species. In chapter 4, Pd-PCP pincer complexes with the ether and amide tether were synthesized. Kinetic and poisoning studies were carried out resulting in a similar conclusion. Furthermore, 31P NMR experiments were conducted to investigate the unstability of the complex. Following this study, in-situ XAS as well as computational calculations were carried out. The conclusion from this sinvestigation argues that triethylamine is a key ingredient for the decomposition of the Pd-PCP complex. The overall conclusion from these two different studies is thta Pd(II) pincer complexes decomposes during the Heck reaction when triethylamine is used for the coupling of iodobenzene to n-butyl acrylate in DMF at 120 ºC. Stemming from this investigation, a reported more stable complex, Pd-NHC, was tethered onto poly(norbornene). The system was evaluated using Suzuki-Miyaura, Heck and Sonogashira reactions. Similar poisoning and kinetic studies were utilized to investigate the stability of the supported NHC Pd complexes. The result of this investigation suggests that supported Pd-NHC complexes are stable under Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira but decompose under Heck conditions. However, when the system was recycled, a decrease in activity for the Suzuki-Miyaura transformation and solubility was observed. In chapter 6, gold monolayer protected clusters (MPC) were investigated as potential candidates as supports. To examine the potential of MPC as a support, a NHC-Pd complex was graphted onto the particles. To functionalize the gold nanoparticles, a new method was developed. Using azide moieties added to the gold nanoparticles, the catalyst was added via microwave assisted 1,3 dipolar cycloaddition. The system was evaluated using Suzuki-Miyaura transformations under microwave conditions. The system exhibited quantitative conversions for a variety of substrates. However, when the system was recycled, aggregation of the particles and decrease in catalytic activity was observed. In summary, this thesis describes the synthesis and evaluation of poly(norbornene) supported Pd-pincer and Pd-NHC complexes and of gold nanoparticles supported Pd-NHC complex. It also detail the combination of kinetic and poisoning studies developed to evaluate a potential supported catalyst.

Title: Coupling atmospheric chemistry/aerosols to regional climate models Author: Peter Huszár Department: Department of Meteorology and Environment Protection Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Tomáš Halenka, CSc. Supervisor's e-mail address: tomas.halenka@mff.cuni.cz Abstract: In this thesis, the connections between air quality and climate are studied. For this purpose, regional climate model RegCM3 and chemistry transport model CAMx has been coupled offline with one- and two-way interaction. Our work represents a first attempt to connect RegCM3 not only with CAMx, but with any other chemistry transport model. As a first step, an offline one way couple of RegCM3 and CAMx has been developed, meaning that the climate model drives the transport, emission, chemical transformation and deposition of species while the radiative feedbacks of gases and aerosols are not considered. A meteorological interface has been developed at our department in order to convert the meteorological data generated by RegCM3 to fields required by CAMx. For those parameters that are essential for CAMx but the regional climate model does not supply them, diagnostic methods were implemented into this interface. Further, it is used to calculate biogenic emissions. Regarding anthropogenic emissions, a simple utility has been developed to...