经由“DNA复制模式”过渡态的小分子自复制催化反应

Are there small organic molecules that can reproduce themselves via "DNA replication" mode of action? This represents both an interesting and fundamental question to be tackled. Despite remarkable progress recorded in organo- catalysis in recent years, such "Auto-Replicative Catalysis" scenario remains lagely unexplored. It merits attention that such processes are conceptually different from what is known in literature as "Product Auto-Catalysis", as the former emphasizes an auto-catalysis mode that kinetically fucntions through "Mirror-Matching" mechanism as widely practiced in DNA-replication type biological events, while the latter merely implies that a catalyst and its product share the same chemical structure.Such processes, once realized, would not only yield reactions of practical significance, but also offer conceptually novel small-molecule model systems that can help shed light on the origin and evolution of biological homo-chirality. The central objective of this project is thus dovoted to rational design and discovery of some benchmark examples of auto-replicative organocatalysis systems leading to the production of such important life building blocks as amino acid derivatives and cyanohydrins.

有没有有机小分子化合物能够像DNA复制一样立体专一性地实现自我手性增殖？这是一个极为有趣的基本问题。有机小分子催化化学在近年来获得了蓬勃的发展，与此形成鲜明对照的是，有机小分子自复制催化（Auto-Replicative Catalysis），即一个有机小分子在温和条件下以模拟DNA复制的模式立体选择性地诱导自身的催化增殖，则是完全未被开拓的新领域。值得特别指出的是，此类自复制催化本质上不同与一般意义上的产物自催化（Product Auto-Catalysis），因为前者强调催化增殖经由了一个"镜像匹配"的过渡态，是一个动态概念，而后者仅仅要求相关催化剂和其产物具有相同结构，是一个静态涵义。此类自复制催化反应的突破不仅具有显著实用价值，同时在理论上为手性起源和演化提供关键的小分子模型系统。本项申请旨在探索并实现与生命起源相关的几类重要小分子化合物（氨基酸，氰基醇等）的手性自复制催化过程。