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Published online 12 August 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1028
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Molecules multiplied
Synthetic chemists hope to apply the power of PCR to a range of other compounds.
Chemists have developed a way to produce vast numbers of organic molecules from trace amounts, by triggering a reaction that selectively makes the same molecule over and over again.
The ability to amplify minuscule quantities of DNA into workable samples, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), has transformed biology.
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Sorry, in my mind this is not at all PCR-like. By PCR macromolecules are being synthesized from small building blocks. The reaction described here is simple, catalyzed hydrolysis of an existing bulk amount of one chemical. Maybe I didn't get the news?