Folding molecules into screw-shaped structures
Monday, April 25, 2016 - 07:50
in Physics & Chemistry
An international research team describes the methods of winding up molecules into screw-shaped structures in the journal Angewandte Chemie. With the aid of artificial molecules, the researchers imitated the principles underlying the assigning a specific function to biomolecules in nature. Giving artificial molecules a specific helical shape has posed a considerable challenge, because it has been difficult to control if a molecule would wind up in the shape of a left-handed or right-handed screw. This is where the team from France, Germany and Japan made a breakthrough.