Scripps VIVO scripps research logo

  • Index
  • Log in
  • Home
  • People
  • Organizations
  • Research
  • Events
Search form

A route to enantiopure RNA precursors from nearly racemic starting materials

Academic Article
uri icon
  • Overview
  • Identity
  • Additional Document Info
  • View All
scroll to property group menus

Overview

authors

  • Hein, J. E.
  • Tse, E.
  • Blackmond, Donna

publication date

  • September 2011

journal

  • Nature Chemistry  Journal

abstract

  • The single-handedness of biological molecules is critical for molecular recognition and replication processes and would seem to be a prerequisite for the origin of life. A drawback of recently reported synthetic routes to RNA is the requirement for enantioenriched reactants, which fails to address the puzzle of how the single chirality of biological molecules arose. Here, we report the synthesis of highly enantioenriched RNA precursor molecules from racemic starting materials, with the molecular asymmetry derived solely from a small initial imbalance of the amino-acid enantiomers present in the reaction mixture. Acting as spectators to the main reaction chemistry, the amino acids orchestrate a sequence of physical and chemical amplification processes. The emergence of molecules of single chirality from complex, multi-component mixtures supports the robustness of this synthesis process under potential prebiotic conditions and provides a plausible explanation for the single-handedness of biological molecules before the emergence of self-replicating informational polymers.

subject areas

  • Amino Acids
  • Glyceraldehyde
  • Oxazoles
  • RNA Precursors
  • Stereoisomerism
scroll to property group menus

Identity

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 1755-4330

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/nchem.1108

PubMed ID

  • 21860459
scroll to property group menus

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 704

end page

  • 706

volume

  • 3

issue

  • 9

©2021 The Scripps Research Institute | Terms of Use | Powered by VIVO

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Support