Abstract
THE communication by R. C. Ferreira1 stresses the implications of his findings (and those of H. M. Powell2) on the origin of ‘molecular dissymmetry’ in living matter through nucleation of a saturated solution of an externally compensated compound by a crystal containing an excess of one enantiomer. Possibly certain earlier work bearing upon the same fundamental principle runs some danger of being overlooked. It was observed more than a hundred years ago3 that a solution of externally compensated ammonium hydrogen malate upon evaporation deposited crystals containing about three parts of the (−)-salt to one part of the (+)-salt, showing that a partial spontaneous resolution had taken place.
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References
Ferreira, R. C., Nature, 171, 39 (1953).
Powell, H. M., Nature, 170, 155 (1952).
Pasteur, L., Ann. Chim., 34, 46 (1852). van 't Hoff, J. H., and Dawson, H. M., Ber., 31, 528 (1898).
Anderson, L., and Hill, D. W., J. Chem. Soc., 993 (1928).
Ostromisslensky, I., Ber., 41, 3041 (1908).
Read, J., “Text-Book of Organic Chemistry”, 354 (London, 1947). Also in the original edition of 1926.
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READ, J. Natural Origin of Optically Active Substances and Optical Resolution by Symmetric Agents. Nature 171, 843–844 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/171843b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/171843b0
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