I. Addressing the regioselectivity problem in organic synthesis. II. A-B-A-B-A block amphiphiles. Balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic segmentation

Part I. Addressing the Regioselectivity Problem in Organic Synthesis . A family of compounds with two nearly identical ketals on each has been synthesized in an effort to address the regioselectivity problem. A screening process uncovered a heterogeneous catalytic system that hydrolyzes one of two nearly identical ketals with a high selectivity.*.;Part II. A-B-A-B-A Block Amphiphiles. Balance between Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Segmentation. Six penta-block amphiphiles of the general structure A-B-A-B-A or B-A-BA-B (where A = a hydrophilic ether and B = a hydrophobic carbon chain) were synthesized and examined via water solubilities, surface activities, cloud points, and self-diffusion coefficients. It was found that segmentation can have a dramatic effect upon solute properties, including solubility, propensity to self-assemble, aggregation number, and cooperativity. These data are relevant to biological systems where segmentation is a widespread phenomenon.;*Please refer to dissertation for diagram.