title: Amplification by compartmentalization.
abstract: Autocatalysis and chemical amplification are properties of living systems that can lead to increased responsiveness and to self-replication. Here we describe a synthetic system in which a unique form of reagent compartmentalization gives rise to nonlinear kinetics that are subject to the precise size- and shape-selectivity of the host. The reactivity is reminiscent of autocatalytic behaviour, in which there is no direct contact between reagents and products, and our approach offers a general way to impose complex chemical behaviour onto synthetic systems.
authors.affiliation: Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Steffi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Körner
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.forename: Dmitry M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rudkevich
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rebek