Research Projects

Cyclic oligosaccharides, a type of pyranoside orfuranoside monomer, have unique chemical and physical properties. They are commonly used in various applications, including rheological modifications in synthetic polymers and drug delivery adjuvants. These oligosaccharides are formed by the degradation of starch in cyclodextrins. The cyclic oligosaccharides have a balance of hydrophilic-hydrophobic surface properties, making them crucial macrocycles. This research proposal aims to synthesize new custom-made synthetic small-ring cyclic oligosaccharides. The motivation for this work stems from recent demonstrations that cyclic oligosaccharides with modified monomers exhibit altered conformational features and macrocyclic properties. The synthesis of cyclic oligosaccharides with more than one type of monomers is crucial due to the modulation of the macrocyclic cavity and hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity-driven surface area properties. The objectives of the research include synthesizing sugar monomers with hetero-atom modifications at the C-2, C-3, and C-6 carbons of a pyranoside, synthesizing di- and trisaccharide monomers with donor and acceptor functionalities, cyclo-oligomerizing the designed monomers, and studying the host-guest encapsulation properties of new synthetic cyclic oligosaccharides. The deliverables include developing synthetic methods to prepare chemically-modified cyclic oligosaccharides through cycloglycosylation, synthesizing new types of cyclic oligosaccharide macrocycles, and evaluating the thermodynamic parameters governing complexation of chosen guest molecules.