Symmetry breaking via amplifying autocatalysis probed by microflow engineering

对自催化反应中手性化学断裂的理解可能为生物同手性的起源和演化提供重要线索，并具有许多潜在的应用，从理解疾病途径到构建超分子组装体。尽管在机械反应模型的协助下，仔细的批实验，试剂混合和流动的影响从未被考虑过，可能会有重大影响的反应群体的结果。微流控反应器和新型均质化策略的出现提供了一个独特的机会，以前所未有的再现性和精致的流量控制来详细研究这种效应。因此，我们试图研究对称性破缺的自催化Soai反应在耐溶剂的微型器件辅助下详细的时空反应演化的数值模拟流动。我们希望我们的高通量微流体方法，结合传统的批量实验和详细的建模，以帮助阐明在没有手性破坏源的情况下进行的Soai反应中同手性演变的机制。

The understanding of chiral chemistry breaking in autocatalytic reactions may hold important clues about the origin and evolution of biological homochirality and has numerous potential applications, ranging from the understanding of disease pathways to structuring supramolecular assemblies. Despite much progress in mechanistic reaction models assisted by careful batch experimentation, the effect of reagent mixing and flow has never been considered and may have a major impact on reaction population outcomes. The advent of microfluidic reactors and novel homogenization strategies provides a unique opportunity to study such effects in details with unprecedented reproducibility and exquisite flow control. We therefore seek to investigate symmetry breaking in the autocatalytic Soai reaction in solvent-resistant microdevices assisted by detailed numerical modelling of spatiotemporal reaction evolution under flow. We expect our high-throughput microfluidic approach, combined with conventional batch experimentation and detailed modelling to help elucidate the mechanisms underlying the evolution of homochirality in the Soai reaction carried out without a chiral symmetry-breaking source.