Coordination chemistry with phosphorus dendrimers. Applications as catalysts, for materials, and in biology

• Metallodendrimers are efficient, reusable catalysts that may induce dendritic effects.
• The dendritic effect improves the yield, enantioselectivity, decreases metal leaching.
• Dendrimers can produce and stabilize metallic nanoparticles.
• Dendrimers can produce mesoscopically ordered hybrid materials.
• Metallodendrimers can be used as drugs, in particular against cancerous cells.

Dendrimers are hyperbranched macromolecules having a perfectly defined and multifunctionalized structure, constituted of branches emanating radially from a central core. The structure of dendrimers is particularly modular, and can incorporate in different parts coordination complexes. In this review, we will present the interplay between dendrimers and coordination chemistry in three main fields: catalysis, materials, and biology. Most of the examples will be taken from the work done with phosphorus-containing dendrimers, but the pioneering work carried out with other dendrimers will be also presented. One of the major improvements that metallodendrimers have afforded concerning catalysis is their easy recovery and reuse, bridging the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Another major improvement concerns the “dendritic effect” which can afford impressive outcomes concerning the increase of yield and of enantioselectivity, together with a decrease of the leaching of metals, and consequently of waste. Dendrimers can be used also for the synthesis and stabilization of metallic nanoparticles, for the modification of metallic surfaces at the nanometric scale, and for the synthesis of mesoscopically ordered hybrid materials. Finally metallodendrimers have high potency against cancerous cell lines, and they appear to operate via a different mechanism of action compared with native metallodrugs, opening new avenues for the search of improved anti-cancer agents.

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