A Toy Model for the Generation of Homochirality during Polymerization
Abstract
This article examines a toy model of polymerization which though artificial and unphysical has some interesting chiral features. Two key elements, enantiomeric cross inhibition and chiral feedback, are shown to lead to bifurcation, so that the end product can become homo-chiral. We find that the bifurcation is driven by the cross-inhibition but is not strongly dependant on its strength, which for perfect feedback fidelity mainly determines the time scale. We also find that bifurcation with a high degree of chiral polarization remains even when the fidelity of the chiral feedback is substantially less than unity. For small values of the feedback fidelity the polarization drops below unity and at a critical value falls sharply to zero in a 'phase transition'. The value at which this happens depends on the cross-inhibition in a complex way. By comparing the behaviour of polymers differing only in their final length, N, we find that the bifurcation process is enhanced as N increases. The symmetry breaking which we find is clearly a particular manifestation of general bifurcation theory. In addition it has the specific interest that, at least in our model, long homochiral polymers are possible even in the presence of substantial enantiomeric cross-inhibition.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The required conditions are sufficiently high values of the kinetic constants associated with enantioselective production of the enantiomers and cross-inhibition.
“The required conditions are sufficiently high values of the kinetic constants associated with enantioselective production of the enantiomers and cross-inhibition.”
From Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality (2022) · cites this paper as [569]
By introducing a slight difference in the initial concentration values of the (R) and (S) enantiomers, bifurcation readily occurs, i.e. polymers embedding a single enantiomer are formed.
“By introducing a slight difference in the initial concentration values of the (R) and (S) enantiomers, bifurcation 304 readily occurs, i.e. polymers embedding a single enantiomer are formed.”
From Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality (2022) · cites this paper as [569]
Cites
Asymmetric autocatalysis and amplification of enantiomeric excess of a chiral molecule
Soai, K., Shibata, T., Morioka, H., & Choji, K. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/378767a0 · Cited by 1,085 · see citing works
Chiral selection in poly(C)-directed synthesis of oligo(G)
Joyce, G. F., Visser, G. M., van Boeckel, C. A. A., van Boom, J. H., Orgel, L. E., & van Westrenen, J. (1984) · Nature · doi:10.1038/310602a0 · Cited by 398 · see citing works
Spontaneous breaking of mirror symmetry in nature and the origin of life
Gol'danskiĭ, V. I., & Kuz'min, V. V. (1989) · Soviet Physics Uspekhi · doi:10.1070/pu1989v032n01abeh002674 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in our Solar System
Glavin, D. P., Burton, A. S., Elsila, J. E., Aponte, J. C., & Dworkin, J. P. (2020) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00474 · Cited by 293 · see citing works
Crystalline Architectures as Templates of Relevance to the Origins of Homochirality
Weissbuch, I., & Lahav, M. (2011) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/cr1002479 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality
Sallembien, Q., Bouteiller, L., Crassous, J., & Raynal, M. (2022) · Chemical Society Reviews · doi:10.1039/d1cs01179k · Cited by 186 · see citing works
<i>Colloquium</i>: Homochirality: Symmetry breaking in systems driven far from equilibrium
Saito, Y., & Hyuga, H. (2013) · Reviews of Modern Physics · doi:10.1103/revmodphys.85.603 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Frank Model and Spontaneous Emergence of Chirality in Closed Systems
Crusats, J., Hochberg, D., Moyano, A., & Ribó, J. M. (2009) · ChemPhysChem · doi:10.1002/cphc.200900181 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Origins of life: a problem for physics, a key issues review
Walker, S. I. (2017) · Reports on Progress in Physics · doi:10.1088/1361-6633/aa7804 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
“Here, we consider an explicit example where chiral symmetry breaking is con trolled by reaction fidelity to illustrate general mechanisms, utilizing the set of heterochiral polymerization reactions as proposed by Sandars [146]: + + L L L n k”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialRibó, J. M., Blanco, C., Crusats, J., El‐Hachemi, Z., Hochberg, D., & Moyano, A. (2014) · Chemistry – A European Journal · doi:10.1002/chem.201404534 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Micheau, J.-C., Coudret, C., Cruz, J.-M., & Buhse, T. (2012) · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · doi:10.1039/c2cp42041d · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Wu, M., Walker, S. I., & Higgs, P. G. (2012) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2012.0819 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Noise-induced symmetry breaking far from equilibrium and the emergence of biological homochirality
Jafarpour, F., Biancalani, T., & Goldenfeld, N. (2017) · Physical Review E · doi:10.1103/physreve.95.032407 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sandars, P. G. H.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Sandars, P. G. H.
- Venue
- Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere
- Published
- 2003-12
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 575-587
- ISSN
- 0169-6149 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-0875
- OpenAlex
- W1654101816
- Cited by
- 134
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 3.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Keywords
- homochirality, origin of homochirality, polymerization, bifurcation, symmetry breaking, phase transitions, polymer length, toy model
- MeSH terms
- Mathematics, Models, Chemical, Molecular Conformation, Polymers, Stereoisomerism
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
