TY - JOUR

T1 - Dissociation in a polymerization model of homochirality

AU - Brandenburg, A.

AU - Andersen, A. C.

AU - Nilsson, M.

PY - 2005/12/1

Y1 - 2005/12/1

N2 - A fully self-contained model of homochirality is presented that contains the effects of both polymerization and dissociation. The dissociation fragments are assumed to replenish the substrate from which new monomers can grow and undergo new polymerization. The mean length of isotactic polymers is found to grow slowly with the normalized total number of corresponding building blocks. Alternatively, if one assumes that the dissociation fragments themselves can polymerize further, then this corresponds to a strong source of short polymers, and an unrealistically short average length of only 3. By contrast, without dissociation, isotactic polymers becomes infinitely long.

AB - A fully self-contained model of homochirality is presented that contains the effects of both polymerization and dissociation. The dissociation fragments are assumed to replenish the substrate from which new monomers can grow and undergo new polymerization. The mean length of isotactic polymers is found to grow slowly with the normalized total number of corresponding building blocks. Alternatively, if one assumes that the dissociation fragments themselves can polymerize further, then this corresponds to a strong source of short polymers, and an unrealistically short average length of only 3. By contrast, without dissociation, isotactic polymers becomes infinitely long.

KW - DNA polymerization

KW - Enantiomeric cross-inhibition

KW - Origin of homochirality Revision: 1.41

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=27644461075&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s11084-005-5757-y

DO - 10.1007/s11084-005-5757-y

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 16254689

AN - SCOPUS:27644461075

VL - 35

SP - 507

EP - 521

JO - Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres

JF - Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres

SN - 0169-6149

IS - 6

ER -