我们能够促进化学分子的自我结合能力到何种境界.DOC

化學分子的自我組裝能力能被運用到何種境界？ How Far Can We Push Chemical Self-Assembly　 羅伯特?塞維斯 ROBERT F. SERVICE 學家於揭發自然的奧妙以現代科技而言，未合成天文學合成物理學但化學家 Most physical scientists nowadays focus on uncovering nature’s mysteries; chemists build things. There is no synthetic astronomy or synthetic physics, at least for now. But chemists thrive on finding creative new ways to assemble molecules. For the last 100 years, they have done that mostly by making and breaking the strong covalent bonds that form when atoms share electrons. Using that trick, they have learned to combine as many as 1000 atoms into essentially any molecular configuration they please. 雖然這已經很了不起了，但化學家能做到的複雜度可是遠遠不及大自然製造出來，仿佛像是在對我們炫耀的產物。所有的東西，從細胞到大樹，全都是靠著小分子之間數不清的微弱鏈接合在一起形成的。這些微弱的相互作用力，例如氫鍵、范氏引力（van der Waals forces）和π-π推積（π-π?interactions）主宰了所有包括大家耳熟能詳雙螺旋狀的DNA、到液態水中的H2O分子的形成。除了駕馭分子之外，這些微弱的引力更是讓進階構造物自行拼裝的功臣，造就了一個複雜的組裝體系。脂質結合為細胞膜、細胞結合為組織、組織又結合為生物。現今的化學家在複雜度上根本連大自然每日的例行公事都做不到，他們能有朝一日學會如何讓複雜的構造物自體組裝嗎？ Impressive as it is, this level of complexity pales in comparison to what nature flaunts all around us. Everything from cells to cedar trees is knit together using a myriad of weaker links between small molecules. These weak interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, andπ-π ?interactions, govern the assembly of everything from DNA in its famous double helix to the bonding of H2O molecules in liquid water. More than just riding herd on molecules, such subtle forces make it possible for structures to assemble themselves into an ever more complex hierarchy. Lipids coalesce to form cell membranes. Cells organize to form tissues. Tissues combine to create organisms. Today, chemists can’t approach the complexity of what nature makes look routine. Will they ever learn to make complex structures that self-assemble? 幸好，他們已經有些頭緒了。過去的三十年來，化學家在認知非共價鍵的基本法則上有了關鍵性的進展。其中法則之一：物以類聚。脂質在水中圍成一圈，組成包覆在細胞外的雙層保護膜時，背後的親水性及疏水性作用便是這個法則的最佳典範。這些脂質將它們油性的尾端擠在一起，以避免與外界的水接觸，同時將極性較高的正面朝向水分。另一個法則：自我組裝被能量上最有利的化學反應所左右。把適合的元件分子放著獨處，它們就會自己組成複雜而有序的結構。