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Templated synthesis

Catalytic cavities control oligomer length

Nature Synthesis volume 2, pages 311–312 (2023)Cite this article

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Catalytic templates produce oligomers of a defined length, moving beyond stoichiometric ratios of template to substrate. Bifunctional catalytic macrocycles with a defined cavity have a high affinity for the monomer but not the oligomer, enabling high-turnover oligomer synthesis.

Research into the templated production of oligomers with defined sequences and lengths has seen great interest owing to its prevalence in the natural world1. Nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, have a precisely controlled sequence and length, with no dispersity in chain length, which is vital for the accurate transfer of genetic information2. Much effort has been focused on using these naturally occurring templates as well as synthetic mimics to create non-natural oligomers. The modification of DNA has allowed DNA-templated synthesis (DTS), where the template controls the effective local concentration of highly dilute reactants3. DTS has been used to create targeted RNA and subsequently proteins and peptides, as well as non-natural oligomers. DTS has also been used in sequential synthesis to create oligomers of up to 10 monomeric units with a pre-determined sequence4,5.

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Fig. 1: Catalytic template for the synthesis of oligomers with a specific length.

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  1. Twitter: @CTJFerguson; @RORgroup

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Calum T. J. Ferguson & Rachel K. O’Reilly

  2. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

    Calum T. J. Ferguson

Authors
  1. Calum T. J. Ferguson
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  2. Rachel K. O’Reilly
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Correspondence to Rachel K. O’Reilly.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Ferguson, C.T.J., O’Reilly, R.K. Catalytic cavities control oligomer length. Nat. Synth 2, 311–312 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-023-00244-3

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