From parity to chirality: chemical implications revisited

Parity violation represents an essential property of particle and atomic ha ndedness used to cope with the complex phenomenon of asymmetry in the unive rse. At the molecular level, however, numerous experiments suggest that par ity-violating energy differences have not determined the amplification and propagation of homochirality. Asymmetric transformations conducted under fa r-from-equilibrium conditions reveal the existence of non-linear autocataly sis which is stochastic in nature. Tn any event and, globally considered, c hirality appears as a unifying characteristic of our visible environment wi th evolutionary implications, thereby suggesting areas for productive resea rch. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.