Supramolecular recognition of nucleobases in the solid state

Zagrijavanjem fizičkih smjesa komplementarnih nukleobaza potaknuto je njihovo supramolekulsko prepoznavanje u čvrstom stanju. Dobiven je dosad nepoznati 1:1 kokristal 9- metilgvanina i 1-metilcitozina. Njegova je kristalna struktura riješena pomoću podataka dobivenih difrakcijom rentgenskog zračenja na polikristalnom uzorku. Molekule 9- metilgvanina i 1-metilcitozina povezane su Watson-Crickovim načinom povezivanja koje uključuje tri međumolekulske vodikove veze. Ovi rezultati mogu biti značajni jer predstavljaju alternativan put nastanka supramolekulskih struktura koje su bile preduvjet za daljnju biološku evoluciju. Supramolecular recognition of complementary nucleobases was thermally induced in the solid state. Novel 1:1 cocrystal between 9-methylguanine and 1-methylcytosine was obtained. The crystal structure of new cocrystal was elucidated using laboratory powder X-ray diffraction. Molecules of 9-methylguanine and 1-methylcytosine are held together by Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding motif that includes three intermolecule hydrogen bonds. It is considered that these findings could be relevant as they stress out an alternative route of occurance of supramolecular structures that were prerequisite for biological evolution.