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Supramolecular chemistry

Bigger and better synthesis

Nature volume 469, pages 39–41 (2011)Cite this article

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Nature constructs macromolecules with a precision that chemists have struggled to achieve. So a strategy that offers simple routes to large molecules, starting from small templates, could be the next big thing in synthesis. See Letter p.72

In 1631, the mathematician Pierre Vernier invented an instrument that could be used to measure lengths and angles with unprecedented precision2. The Vernier scale — a sliding, secondary scale that indicates where a measurement lies between two marks on a larger scale — makes it possible to measure minute differences in size using relatively large objects. The principle underlying the instrument is that the graduations in the secondary scale are slightly smaller than those of the main scale, so only the zero point and the last graduation match up with those of the main scale.

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Figure 1: Vernier templates for macromolecular synthesis.

References

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  1. Christopher Hunter is in the Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7HF, UK. c.hunter@shef.ac.uk,

    Christopher Hunter

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  1. Christopher Hunter
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Hunter, C. Bigger and better synthesis. Nature 469, 39–41 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/469039a

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