1
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Pruchyathamkorn J, Nguyen BNT, Grommet AB, Novoveska M, Ronson TK, Thoburn JD, Nitschke JR. Harnessing Maxwell's demon to establish a macroscale concentration gradient. Nat Chem 2024; 16:1558-1564. [PMID: 38858517 PMCID: PMC11374679 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Maxwell's demon describes a thought experiment in which a 'demon' regulates the flow of particles between two adjoining spaces, establishing a potential gradient without appearing to do work. This seeming paradox led to the understanding that sorting entails thermodynamic work, a foundational concept of information theory. In the past centuries, many systems analogous to Maxwell's demon have been introduced in the form of molecular information, molecular pumps and ratchets. Here we report a functional example of a Maxwell's demon that pumps material over centimetres, whereas previous examples operated on a molecular scale. In our system, this demon drives directional transport of o-fluoroazobenzene between the arms of a U-tube apparatus upon light irradiation, transiting through an aqueous membrane containing a coordination cage. The concentration gradient thus obtained is further harnessed to drive naphthalene transport in the opposite direction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bao-Nguyen T Nguyen
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela B Grommet
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Miroslava Novoveska
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tanya K Ronson
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - John D Thoburn
- Department of Chemistry, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA, USA
| | - Jonathan R Nitschke
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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2
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Zhang Z, Howlett MG, Silvester E, Kukura P, Fletcher SP. A Chemical Reaction Network Drives Complex Population Dynamics in Oscillating Self-Reproducing Vesicles. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:18262-18269. [PMID: 38917079 PMCID: PMC11240260 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c00860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
We report chemically fueled oscillations of vesicles. The population cycling of vesicles is driven by their self-reproduction and collapse within a biphasic reaction network involving the interplay of molecular and supramolecular events. We studied the oscillations on the molecular and supramolecular scales and tracked vesicle populations in time by interferometric scattering microscopy and dynamic light scattering. Complex supramolecular events were observed during oscillations─including vesicle reproduction, growth, and decomposition─and differences in the number, size, and mass of aggregates can often be observed within and between pulses. This system's dynamic behavior is reminiscent of a reproductive cycle in living cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiheng Zhang
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
| | - Michael G. Howlett
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
| | - Emma Silvester
- The
Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
- Department
of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
| | - Philipp Kukura
- The
Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, Oxford OX1 3QU, U.K.
- Physical
and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, U.K.
| | - Stephen P. Fletcher
- Chemistry
Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, 12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, U.K.
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3
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Valentini M, Ercolani G, Di Stefano S. Kinetic Trapping of an Out-of-Equilibrium Dynamic Library of Imines by Changing Solvent. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202401104. [PMID: 38584126 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202401104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
A well-behaved dynamic library composed of two imines and corresponding amines was subjected to the action of an activated carboxylic acid (ACA), whose decarboxylation is known to be base promoted, in different solvents, namely CD2Cl2, CD3CN, and mixtures of them. Two non-equilibrium systems are consequently obtained: i) a dissipative (CD2Cl2) and ii) an out-of-equilibrium (CD3CN) dynamic library whose composition goes back to equilibrium after a given time. In the former case, the library is fully coupled with the decarboxylation of the ACA, while in the latter, an energy ratchet operates. In the mixed solvents, the library exhibits a mediated behavior. Interestingly, in the presence of an excess of added ACA, the different behavior of the imine library in the two solvents is expected to manifest only when the excess acid is consumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Valentini
- Department of Chemistry, Università di Roma La Sapienza and ISB-CNR Sede Secondaria di Roma -, Meccanismi di Reazione, P.le A. Moro 5, I-00185, Roma, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Ercolani
- Department of Chemical Science and Technology, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, I-00133, Roma, Italy
| | - Stefano Di Stefano
- Department of Chemistry, Università di Roma La Sapienza and ISB-CNR Sede Secondaria di Roma -, Meccanismi di Reazione, P.le A. Moro 5, I-00185, Roma, Italy
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4
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Borsley S, Leigh DA, Roberts BMW. Molecular Ratchets and Kinetic Asymmetry: Giving Chemistry Direction. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202400495. [PMID: 38568047 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202400495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Over the last two decades ratchet mechanisms have transformed the understanding and design of stochastic molecular systems-biological, chemical and physical-in a move away from the mechanical macroscopic analogies that dominated thinking regarding molecular dynamics in the 1990s and early 2000s (e.g. pistons, springs, etc), to the more scale-relevant concepts that underpin out-of-equilibrium research in the molecular sciences today. Ratcheting has established molecular nanotechnology as a research frontier for energy transduction and metabolism, and has enabled the reverse engineering of biomolecular machinery, delivering insights into how molecules 'walk' and track-based synthesisers operate, how the acceleration of chemical reactions enables energy to be transduced by catalysts (both motor proteins and synthetic catalysts), and how dynamic systems can be driven away from equilibrium through catalysis. The recognition of molecular ratchet mechanisms in biology, and their invention in synthetic systems, is proving significant in areas as diverse as supramolecular chemistry, systems chemistry, dynamic covalent chemistry, DNA nanotechnology, polymer and materials science, molecular biology, heterogeneous catalysis, endergonic synthesis, the origin of life, and many other branches of chemical science. Put simply, ratchet mechanisms give chemistry direction. Kinetic asymmetry, the key feature of ratcheting, is the dynamic counterpart of structural asymmetry (i.e. chirality). Given the ubiquity of ratchet mechanisms in endergonic chemical processes in biology, and their significance for behaviour and function from systems to synthesis, it is surely just as fundamentally important. This Review charts the recognition, invention and development of molecular ratchets, focussing particularly on the role for which they were originally envisaged in chemistry, as design elements for molecular machinery. Different kinetically asymmetric systems are compared, and the consequences of their dynamic behaviour discussed. These archetypal examples demonstrate how chemical systems can be driven inexorably away from equilibrium, rather than relax towards it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Borsley
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David A Leigh
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin M W Roberts
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL, Manchester, United Kingdom
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5
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Gibson W, Mulvey JT, Das S, Selmani S, Merham JG, Rakowski AM, Schwartz E, Hochbaum AI, Guan Z, Green JR, Patterson JP. Observing the Dynamics of an Electrochemically Driven Active Material with Liquid Electron Microscopy. ACS NANO 2024; 18:11898-11909. [PMID: 38648551 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c01524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Electrochemical liquid electron microscopy has revolutionized our understanding of nanomaterial dynamics by allowing for direct observation of their electrochemical production. This technique, primarily applied to inorganic materials, is now being used to explore the self-assembly dynamics of active molecular materials. Our study examines these dynamics across various scales, from the nanoscale behavior of individual fibers to the micrometer-scale hierarchical evolution of fiber clusters. To isolate the influences of the electron beam and electrical potential on material behavior, we conducted thorough beam-sample interaction analyses. Our findings reveal that the dynamics of these active materials at the nanoscale are shaped by their proximity to the electrode and the applied electrical current. By integrating electron microscopy observations with reaction-diffusion simulations, we uncover that local structures and their formation history play a crucial role in determining assembly rates. This suggests that the emergence of nonequilibrium structures can locally accelerate further structural development, offering insights into the behavior of active materials under electrochemical conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyeth Gibson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Justin T Mulvey
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Swetamber Das
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, United States
| | - Serxho Selmani
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jovany G Merham
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Alexander M Rakowski
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Eric Schwartz
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Allon I Hochbaum
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Zhibin Guan
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Jason R Green
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02125, United States
| | - Joseph P Patterson
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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6
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Astumian RD. Kinetic Asymmetry and Directionality of Nonequilibrium Molecular Systems. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202306569. [PMID: 38236163 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202306569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Scientists have long been fascinated by the biomolecular machines in living systems that process energy and information to sustain life. The first synthetic molecular rotor capable of performing repeated 360° rotations due to a combination of photo- and thermally activated processes was reported in 1999. The progress in designing different molecular machines in the intervening years has been remarkable, with several outstanding examples appearing in the last few years. Despite the synthetic accomplishments, there remains confusion regarding the fundamental design principles by which the motions of molecules can be controlled, with significant intellectual tension between mechanical and chemical ways of thinking about and describing molecular machines. A thermodynamically consistent analysis of the kinetics of several molecular rotors and pumps shows that while light driven rotors operate by a power-stroke mechanism, kinetic asymmetry-the relative heights of energy barriers-is the sole determinant of the directionality of catalysis driven machines. Power-strokes-the relative depths of energy wells-play no role whatsoever in determining the sign of the directionality. These results, elaborated using trajectory thermodynamics and the nonequilibrium pump equality, show that kinetic asymmetry governs the response of many non-equilibrium chemical phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Dean Astumian
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Maine, 5709 Bennett Hall, Orono, ME-04469, USA
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7
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Borsley S, Gallagher JM, Leigh DA, Roberts BMW. Ratcheting synthesis. Nat Rev Chem 2024; 8:8-29. [PMID: 38102412 DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00558-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic chemistry has traditionally relied on reactions between reactants of high chemical potential and transformations that proceed energetically downhill to either a global or local minimum (thermodynamic or kinetic control). Catalysts can be used to manipulate kinetic control, lowering activation energies to influence reaction outcomes. However, such chemistry is still constrained by the shape of one-dimensional reaction coordinates. Coupling synthesis to an orthogonal energy input can allow ratcheting of chemical reaction outcomes, reminiscent of the ways that molecular machines ratchet random thermal motion to bias conformational dynamics. This fundamentally distinct approach to synthesis allows multi-dimensional potential energy surfaces to be navigated, enabling reaction outcomes that cannot be achieved under conventional kinetic or thermodynamic control. In this Review, we discuss how ratcheted synthesis is ubiquitous throughout biology and consider how chemists might harness ratchet mechanisms to accelerate catalysis, drive chemical reactions uphill and programme complex reaction sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Borsley
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | - David A Leigh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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8
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Sangchai T, Al Shehimy S, Penocchio E, Ragazzon G. Artificial Molecular Ratchets: Tools Enabling Endergonic Processes. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202309501. [PMID: 37545196 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202309501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Non-equilibrium chemical systems underpin multiple domains of contemporary interest, including supramolecular chemistry, molecular machines, systems chemistry, prebiotic chemistry, and energy transduction. Experimental chemists are now pioneering the realization of artificial systems that can harvest energy away from equilibrium. In this tutorial Review, we provide an overview of artificial molecular ratchets: the chemical mechanisms enabling energy absorption from the environment. By focusing on the mechanism type-rather than the application domain or energy source-we offer a unifying picture of seemingly disparate phenomena, which we hope will foster progress in this fascinating domain of science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thitiporn Sangchai
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) UMR 7006, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Shaymaa Al Shehimy
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) UMR 7006, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Emanuele Penocchio
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Giulio Ragazzon
- University of Strasbourg, CNRS, Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) UMR 7006, 8 allée Gaspard Monge, 67000, Strasbourg, France
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9
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Barpuzary D, Hurst PJ, Patterson JP, Guan Z. Waste-Free Fully Electrically Fueled Dissipative Self-Assembly System. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:3727-3735. [PMID: 36746118 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c13140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The importance and prevalence of energy-fueled active materials in living systems have inspired the design of synthetic active materials using various fuels. However, several major limitations of current designs remain to be addressed, such as the accumulation of chemical wastes during the process, unsustainable active behavior, and the lack of precise spatiotemporal control. Here, we demonstrate a fully electrically fueled (e-fueled) active self-assembly material that can overcome the aforementioned limitations. Using an electrochemical setup with dual electrocatalysts, the anodic oxidation of one electrocatalyst (ferrocyanide, [Fe(CN)6]4-) creates a positive fuel to activate the self-assembly, while simultaneously, the cathodic reduction of the other electrocatalyst (methyl viologen, [MV]2+) generates a negative fuel triggering fiber disassembly. Due to the fully catalytic nature for the reaction networks, this fully e-fueled active material system does not generate any chemical waste, can sustain active behavior for an extended period when the electrical potential is maintained, and provides spatiotemporal control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipankar Barpuzary
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States
| | - Paul J Hurst
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States
| | - Joseph P Patterson
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States
| | - Zhibin Guan
- Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California92697, United States
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