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The application of polymer supports for the synthesis of polypeptides, oligonucleotides, and oligosaccharides is presented in this article and discussed in view of their methodology. The fundamentals of the polymer-supported synthesis are described as well as the role of the polymer supports in the synthetic cycle, and the problems associated are debated. It is focused on typical polymer supports for each substance class, and an overview is given on recent tendencies of development in the polymer-supported methods of synthesis.

Organic chlorinated compounds are of increasing interest due to their almost ubiquitous occurrence in the biosphere, their toxic and cancerogenic activity, and their environmental relevance. Despite the relatively high level of knowledge on anthropogenic chlorine compounds, knowledge about biogenic chlorine compounds is comparatively poor. This is astonishing because the quantity of natural emissions of particular organic chlorinated compounds into the ecosphere exceeds that from industrial production considerably. An overview of the occurrence, biosynthesis, and ecological significance of biogenic chlorine-containing organics is given in this article. Results of recent investigations on this topic are discussed and the natural elimination processes of organic chlorinated compounds presented.

Polyreactions are the prerequisite of life and genetics and are also the basis of all processes for the production of plastics. In this article, an actualized classification of polyreactions based on the reaction mechanism is discussed with a differentiation in chain and step polyreactions. Besides the explanation of the mechanisms of radical, ionic, and coordination polyreactions, polyaddition and polycondensation reactions are covered. In addition, metathesis, polyelimination as well as photochemical and radiochemical polyreactions are considered. Finally, the influence of the reaction mechanism on the properties of materials and the relevance of polyreactions in biology are investigated.

Fundamentals and application examples of polymeric materials in different types of biosensors and presented and discussed in view of their molecular structure and biosensor design and construction. The role of a series of polymers with respect to their typical application and their specific properties, like sensitivity and stability, is highlighted. Future trends of polymer materials for biosensors in the area of medical and environmental applications are outlined.