International Collaboration in Chemistry: A Systems Chemistry Approach to Self Assembly and Self Replication

斯克里普斯研究所的唐娜·G·布莱克蒙德教授得到了化学部和国际科学与工程办公室化学催化(CAT)计划的支持，致力于研究自组装和自复制的系统化学方法。这项工作将与荷兰格罗宁根大学的本·L·费林加教授合作进行。NSF将支持美国调查人员的研究，荷兰科学研究办公室将支持合作的荷兰调查人员的研究。这项研究的目标是：(1)发展具有生物学意义的自催化有机反应，以表现出自催化行为和手性放大的Soai反应的化学为模型；(2)开发结合自组装和自催化的超分子系统，通过不对称自复制放大手性。如果成功，该项目将带来新的材料和装置，并将提供关于氨基酸和糖的同质性起源的新知识。了解活性催化剂物种是如何在自催化系统中组装和繁殖的，最终可能会为地球上生命的起源提供线索。参与这项研究的学生将从与参与该项目的荷兰学生的密切互动中受益，并从接触国际科学研究经验中受益。

Professor Donna G. Blackmond of the Scripps Research Institute is supported by the Chemical Catalysis (CAT) Program in the Division of Chemistry and the Office of International Science and Engineering to work on a systems chemistry approach to self assembly and self replication. The work will be conducted in collaboration with Professor Ben L. Feringa of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. NSF will support the research of the US-based investigators and the Netherlands Office for Scientific Research will support the research of the collaborating Dutch investigators. The objectives of the proposed research are: (1) to develop autocatalytic organic reactions of biological significance, taking as a model the chemistry of the Soai reaction, which exhibits autocatalytic behavior and amplification of chirality, and (2) to develop supramolecular systems that combine self-assembly and autocatalysis to amplify chirality through asymmetric self-replication. If successful, the project will lead to new materials and devices and will provide new knowledge on the origin of homochirality in amino acids and sugars. Understanding how the active catalyst species assembles and propagates in autocatalytic systems may eventually provide clues on the origin of life on earth. The students involved in this research will benefit from close interaction with Dutch students working on the project and from exposure to an international scientific research experience.