Affiliation:
1. Institute of Materials Research, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School Tsinghua University Shenzhen 518055 P. R. China
2. School of Materials Science and Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 P. R. China
Abstract
AbstractAutocatalysis has been recognized to be involved in the emergence of life and intrinsic to biomolecular replication. Recently, an efficient template autocatalysis driven by solvent‐free crystallization has been reported. Herein, we unveil the role of intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed by amides in crystallization‐driven template autocatalysis (CDTA), which involves the autocatalytic activity, template selectivity, and thermal responsiveness. We found that the thermal‐induced cis‐trans isomerization of amides possibly affects the H‐bonding‐mediated template ability of products for autocatalytic transformation. As a result, CDTA can be reversibly inhibited and activated by tuning the reaction temperatures. Our work sheds light on the significance of noncovalent H‐bonding interactions in artificial self‐replicators.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology
Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School