Tectonic Molecules Show Surprising Strength

摘要

Slowly but surely chemists are moving to uncover the secret of how simple molecules were able to organize themselves in a way that must once have led to the first "living" unit. This requires a molecule to attract the components from which it is made and then to manipulate these to make a replica of itself. Such molecules will of necessity be large, and must preserve structural integrity yet permit reactivity. In the current Hot Ten are two papers, #5 and #7, which report the assembly of structures with some of the necessary features.