Can biological homochirality result from a phase transition?
The problem of chiral purity in living organisms is still one of the prominent difficulties in the study of the origins of life.  In particular the parity non-conservation known to occur in weak interactions could not be related to this lack of symmetry:  these physical forces, though universal, are very weak and up to now no amplification process had been proposed.  In 1991, A. Salam remarked that, due to the attractive character of the parity violating force in electro-weak interactions, a phase transition at low temperature should exist, leading eventually to enantiomeric purity.  We undertook then a series of experimental tests, looking for a sizeable change in the optical activity of cystine molecules.  We found no evidence for the phase transition down to 0.01 K.  The interpretation of these negative results will be discussed, and future experiments proposed.
Figureau
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Institut de Physique Nucléaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France.
Duval
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Boukenter
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D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003460:Crystallization; D003553:Cystine / Q000737:chemistry*; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D019418:Evolution, Chemical; D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009904:Optical Rotation; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013696:Temperature
D000596:Amino Acids; D003553:Cystine