New Aspects of Soai's Asymmetric Autocatalysis

Photolysis with circularly polarized light combined with Soai's asymmetric autocatalysis in the reaction of 2-(tert-butylethynyl)pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde (1, R=CCtBu) with iPr2Zn results in the amplification of ≈0.005 % ee to about 65 % ee in one step (see scheme). This reaction may serve as a model for how chiral amplification occurred in the prebiotic era.