Polymeric metal chelating compositions and methods of preparing same for controlling growth and activities of living cells and organisms

A chelating composition soluble in aqueous media with chelating activity for an essential metal, the chelating composition prepared from:

• at least a first and a second monomer unit, wherein the first monomer unit comprises one or more suitable metal binding chemical groups incorporated or affixed thereto optionally independently selected from the group consisting of the carboxyl, hydroxyl, phenolate, catecholate, hydroxamate, hydroxypyridinone and hydroxyphenyltriazole chemical types;
• wherein:
• the first and second monomer units are polymerized by a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer mechanism with the use of a suitable addition-fragmentation chain transfer agent;
• optionally, the first monomer unit is represented by Compound (I)
• wherein
• R1 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• R3 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• and
• n is 1 to 12;
• optionally the second monomer unit is independently selected from the group consisting of 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate, N,N-dimethyl-acrylamide, ethyl methacrylate, N-vinyl imidazole and styrene;
• and
• the resulting chelating composition binds one or more essential metal in the environment of a living cell or organism and thereby affects the living cell or organism.

A metal binding compound represented by Compound (I),

• wherein:
• R1 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• R3 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• and
• n is 1 to 12,
• wherein Compound (I) is prepared by polymerizing Compound (Ia)
• wherein
• R1 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and alkyl substituted with O, N or S;
• and
• PG is a protecting group,
• with Compound (Ib)
• wherein
• n is 1 to 12;
• and
• R4 is COCCH2R3 or a protecting group,
• by a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer mechanism with the use of a suitable addition-fragmentation chain transfer agent followed by:
• when R4 is COCCH2R3, removing PG to yield Compound (I);
• or
• when R4 is a protecting group, removing R4, reacting with a suitable acrylate source, and removing PG to yield Compound (I), and
• wherein Compound (I) binds one or more essential metal.