%0 Journal Article
%A Viedma Molero, Cristóbal
%T Enantiomeric crystallization from Dl-aspartic and Dl-glutamic acids: implications for biomolecular chilarity in the origin of life
%D 2001
%@ 0169-6149
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/57568
%X Amino acids in living systems consist almost exclusively of the L-enantiomer. How andwhen this homochiral characteristic of life came to be has been a matter of intense investigationfor many years. Among the hypotheses proposed to explain the appearance of chiral homogeneity,the spontaneous resolution of conglomerates seems one of the most plausible. Racemic solids maycrystallize from solution either as racemic compounds (both enantiomeric molecules in the samecrystal), or less commonly as conglomerates (each enantiomer molecule separate in different enantiomericcrystals). Only conglomerates can develop a spontaneous resolution (one of the enantiomericmolecule crystallizes preferentially, the other one remains in solution). Most of natural amino acidsare racemic compounds at moderate temperatures. How can we expect a hypothetical spontaneousresolution of these amino acids if they are not conglomerates? In this paper we show how DLasparticand DL-glutamic amino acids (racemic compounds), crystallize at ambient conditions as trueconglomerates. The experimental conditions here described, that allows this ‘anomalous’ behaviour,could be also found in natural sedimentary environments. We suggest that these experimental proceduresand its natural equivalents, have a potential interest for the investigation of the spontaneousresolution of racemic compounds comprising molecules associated with the origin of life.
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