The origin of life is still a mystery with many unsolved puzzles. How were molecules created? How did they assemble into large structures? Among the misteries, the "chirality" phenomenon upon which amino acids and sugars form is particularly exciting. Single chiral molecules in any chemical system play a very particular role, and these are the only systems where one can be sure, that they display 100 % ee. If this kind of system is a sub-sytem of reaction mixtures where highly sensitive autocatalytic reactions may develop, as for example in the case of the Soai reaction, the presence of this initial chiral molecule can decisively influence the subsequent stereochemical developments. In the present work we can try to understand, how the phenomenon of chirality is related to single molecules, and how could this starting situation influence the outcome of reactions where the product(s) is (are) of high molecular weight, as synthetic or biological polymers.
Macromolecular versus Micromolecular World
RIGHI, VALERIA
2017
Abstract
The origin of life is still a mystery with many unsolved puzzles. How were molecules created? How did they assemble into large structures? Among the misteries, the "chirality" phenomenon upon which amino acids and sugars form is particularly exciting. Single chiral molecules in any chemical system play a very particular role, and these are the only systems where one can be sure, that they display 100 % ee. If this kind of system is a sub-sytem of reaction mixtures where highly sensitive autocatalytic reactions may develop, as for example in the case of the Soai reaction, the presence of this initial chiral molecule can decisively influence the subsequent stereochemical developments. In the present work we can try to understand, how the phenomenon of chirality is related to single molecules, and how could this starting situation influence the outcome of reactions where the product(s) is (are) of high molecular weight, as synthetic or biological polymers.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.