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Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
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Water-Induced Chiral Separation on a Au(111) Surface
Donglin Li1, Luye Sun2,3, Yuanqi Ding1
1Interdisciplinary Materials Research Center, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 201804, People's Republic of China.
ACS Nano
|October 15, 2021
Summary
Water exposure transforms racemic uracil structures into homochiral ones, revealing water
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Chemical Physics
- Origins of Life Research
Background:
- Chirality is fundamental to life, but its origin remains a scientific mystery.
- Water is implicated in biological processes and chiral phenomena, yet mechanisms are unclear.
- Single-molecule evidence is needed to elucidate water's role in biomolecular chirality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of water in chiral separation and amplification at the molecular level.
- To explore how water influences the self-assembly of biomolecules like uracil.
- To provide insights into the origin of homochirality in biological systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing single-molecule imaging techniques to observe uracil self-assembly.
- Exposing racemic uracil structures to water to study structural transformations.
- Analyzing the energetic favorability of water-involved uracil clusters.
Main Results:
- Racemic uracil structures converted to homochiral, water-involved structures upon water exposure.
- Observed chiral separation on the surface due to water's influence.
- Identified preferential water binding to uracil as the origin of chiral separation.
- Formation of a stable homochiral (uracil-water-uracil)₂ cluster as a chiral amplification seed.
Conclusions:
- Water actively drives chiral separation and amplification in uracil self-assembly.
- Preferential water binding to specific uracil sites initiates homochirality.
- This water-driven mechanism offers insights into the origin of homochirality in biological systems.
- The findings may extend to other biomolecules like amino acids and sugars.
Keywords:
atomic force microscopychiral amplificationchiral separationscanning tunneling microscopywaterMore Related Videos
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