Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs
Published on: January 17, 2020
Chiral Nanozymes-Gold Nanoparticle-Based Transphosphorylation Catalysts Capable of Enantiomeric Discrimination
Jack L-Y Chen1, Cristian Pezzato1, Paolo Scrimin1
1Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131, Padova, Italy.
Abstract:
Enantioselectivity in RNA cleavage by a synthetic metalloenzyme has been demonstrated for the first time. Thiols containing chiral Zn(II) -binding head groups have been self-assembled on the surface of gold nanoparticles. This results in the spontaneous formation of chiral bimetallic catalytic sites that display different activities (kcat ) towards the enantiomers of an RNA model substrate. Substrate selectivity is observed when the nanozyme is applied to the cleavage of the dinucleotides UpU, GpG, ApA, and CpC, and remarkable differences in reactivity are observed for the cleavage of the enantiomerically pure dinucleotide UpU.
Related Concept Videos
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Chirality in Nature
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Prochirality
Racemic Mixtures and the Resolution of Enantiomers
Sharpless Epoxidation

