Saturation Transfer Difference NMR Spectroscopy Using Glycopolymers

We report the use of Saturation Transfer Difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy to observe the interaction of various phenylboronic acids (PBAs) with synthetic glycopolymers presenting galactose and glucose. After optimizing experimental parameters to maximize spin diffusion, the binding of boronic acids to the glycopolymers was examined using STD NMR. Efficient amplification factor build-up curves which were used to generate an epitope map for the boronic acid binding to the glycopolymers. STD-NMR was also used to detect the interaction between indole and a galactosylated glycopolymer, providing an indole-based view of this C-H – π interaction.