Synthesis and aggregation behavior of nature-inspired amphiphiles

Amphiphilc molecules, namely fatty acids, are basic building blocks of each living organism. A large structural variety has been observed in nature allowing the survival of the organism in extreme environments. Thereby, specific modifications can enable life not only at high temperature and pressure differences, but also in toxic media.

To overcome the limited availability of these molecules and to understand, study and mimic the function of the in nature occurring fatty acids, organic synthesis is an irreplaceable tool. The first part of this thesis shows different synthetic strategies to obtain non-natural and natural fatty acids exhibiting cycloalkane moieties, such as ladderane units (Chapter II and III) or a trans-cyclopropane ring (Chapter IV).

The second part of this thesis is dealing with the synthesis of a new class of amphiphiles, namely N-phosphoamino acids (Chapter V), and their application to create artificial membranes for potential drug delivery systems (Chapter VI and VII).

Dissertation: http://irs.ub.rug.nl/ppn/391538411