Achiral Nucleobase Cytosine Acts as an Origin of Homochirality of Biomolecules in Conjunction with Asymmetric Autocatalysis

Abstract

Crystals to add chirality: Cytosine, a prebiotic achiral biomolecule and an essential nucleobase, spontaneously forms enantioenriched crystals if stirring is applied during crystallization. The chiral crystal of achiral cytosine is a chiral initiator for asymmetric autocatalysis of a pyrimidyl alkanol with amplification of the ee value, which provides a nearly enantiopure alcohol with an absolute configuration correlated to that of the cytosine crystal.