Making Molecules Make Themselves – the Chemistry of Artificial Replicators (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 5/2009)

✍ Scribed by Annick Vidonne; Douglas Philp

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 514 KB
• Volume: 2009
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-193X
• DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.200990006

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The cover picture shows in the lower left corner the schematic representation of a recognition‐mediated autocatalytic cycle that is capable of producing multiple copies of a single molecule in a template‐directed manner. The molecular recognition inherent in this cycle (red) leads to the accelerated formation of an imine bond (blue) between two building blocks through a ternary complex that renders the reaction between them pseudointramolecular. After bond formation, the product duplex dissociates and returns two molecules to the start of the autocatalytic cycle. The structure in the upper right corner represents the product duplex as determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction ([18·18], taken from ref.^[28]^). The multiple copies of the reaction product shown highlight the exponential increase in the concentration of the product inherent in self‐replicating systems. Details are presented in the Microreview by A. Vidonne and D. Philp on p. 593 ff.