Differentially Activated Amino Acid Coordination Polymers by Amino Acids

Two amino acid coordination polymers were synthesized using a single-step self-organization process, both of which were found to have three-dimensional, enantiomeric structures. They could be differentially activated by four amino acids((aq)), cysteine, arginine, histidine and lysine, but were inactive for the other naturally occurring amino acids. This supramolecular reaction system provides a deep insight into the unique responses of such advanced materials.