A novel method of molecular imprinting applied to the template cholesterol.

A novel method is successfully tested for non-covalent imprinting. Conditions are used which practically exclude the formation of prepolymerization complexes. The template is cholesterol, and no so-called functional monomer is used. The polymers contain only an acrylic diester crosslinker. The porogen isopropanol prevents even hydrogen bonding between the template and the monomer in the prepolymerization solution. Despite of these apparently very disadvantageous conditions, appreciable imprinting factors for cholesterol and imprinted selectivity against some other steroids are observed, similar to other cholesterol MIPs with proven analytical usefulness.