AUTOCATALYSIS AND ORGANOCATALYSIS WITH KEMP'S TRIACID COMPOUNDS

Synthetic structures capable of autocatalysis based on molecular recognition - self-replication - were introduced nearly 20 years ago. These systems involved neither informational oligomers such as nucleic acids nor conditions that are generally regarded as prebiotic, but they revealed how self-complementary molecules could act as templates for their own formation and helped define the structure of minimalist replicators. Recent expansions in the field of organocatalysis raise the possibility that a synthetic structure might behave as an autocatalyst and function as a chemical catalyst for other reactions. We show here that these properties can be engineered into a single synthetic structure: the compound can selectively accelerate its own formation and catalyzes hydrogenation reactions of nitrostyrene. It is likely that a wide variety of synthetic structures can be modified for autocatalysis and organocatalysis.