Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
Published on: September 26, 2016
Chiral polymerization: symmetry breaking and entropy production in closed systems
1Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera Ajalvir Kilómetro 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain. blancodtc@inta.es
Abstract:
We solve numerically a kinetic model of chiral polymerization in systems closed to matter and energy flow, paying special attention to its ability to amplify the small initial enantiomeric excesses due to the internal and unavoidable statistical fluctuations. The reaction steps are assumed to be reversible, implying a thermodynamic constraint among some of the rate constants. Absolute asymmetric synthesis is achieved in this scheme. The system can persist for long times in quasi-stationary chiral asymmetric states before racemizing. Strong inhibition leads to long-period chiral oscillations in the enantiomeric excesses of the longest homopolymer chains. We also calculate the entropy production σ per unit volume and show that σ increases to a peak value either before or in the vicinity of the chiral symmetry breaking transition.
Related Concept Videos
Chirality in Nature
Chirality
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
Prochirality
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

