Dendrimer disassembly by benzyl ether depolymerization.

The disassembly of dendritic structures was realized by a cascade cleavage reaction triggered by an initially stimulated group in the dendrimer periphery. A depolymerizable backbone was engineered into prototypical dendritic structures. Evidence for the completion of the disassembly process is provided by the absorbance peak of the p-nitrophenoxide ion that was intentionally installed at the focal point of the dendrons. Observation of the UV spectra during the disassembly process supports a stepwise cascade cleavage proceeding from the periphery into the core.