Molecules on the Move

Abstract

CHEMISTRY In a dynamic combinatorial library, molecules are formed by the assembly of building blocks through reversible reactions, such as the formation of hydrogen bonds. The library members interconvert repeatedly; in the presence of a target, the concentration of those molecules that bind strongly to the target of interest may be amplified. Various noncovalent and covalent dynamic combinatorial libraries have been investigated, but strong template-induced amplifications have been difficult to achieve. Cousins et al. now report the molecular amplification of a macrocycle in a dynamic library of pseudopeptides in the presence of specific templates. The amplified molecule can be identified and isolated. Extension of this approach to more diverse dynamic libraries may lead to the identification of synthetic receptors for biological targets. — JU Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 40 , 423 (2001).