Amplification by compartmentalization.
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.
Chen
Jian
J
Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Körner
Steffi
S
Craig
Stephen L
SL
Rudkevich
Dmitry M
DM
Rebek
Julius
J