Self-assemblies of amphiphilic molecules are proposed to play a ubiquitous role at the early stages of evolution in the formation of primitive biopolymers. [1] As regard to the significance of N-phosphoryl amino acids as a model for the co-evolution of protein and nucleic acids at the prebiotic stage, [2] amphiphilic N-phosphoryl amino acids with two hydrophobic tails were synthesized. [3]……
WANG Hai-Yan XIAO Yi LI Yan-Mei WU Li-Xin YU Zhi-Wu ZHAO Yu-Fen
O-Phosphoryl serine derivative can perform self-catalytic esterification reaction in the mixture of CH3OH and CHCl3 at the room temperature. The phosphoryl group participation was the key step of the esterification. This type of reactions were proposed through an intermediate of mixed phosphoric-carboxylic anhydride that might provide a clue to the function of the phosphoryl group in the phosphorylated enzymes and in the prebiotic synthesis of protein.
The spontaneous condensation of the amphiphilic N-(O,O-dihexadecyl)phosphoryl- alanine on the cast film was observed by in situ investigation of transmission infrared spectroscopy. The particular orientation and ordered packing of the monomers within the multilayers of the cast film is concluded to attribute to the spontaneous condensation between the monomers.
