Homochiral growth through enantiomeric cross-inhibition
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Abstract
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The stability and conservation properties of a recently proposed polymerization model are studied. The achiral (racemic) solution is linearly unstable once the relevant control parameter (here the fidelity of the catalyst) exceeds a critical value. The growth rate is calculated for different fidelity parameters and cross-inhibition rates. A chirality parameter is defined and shown to be conserved by the nonlinear terms of the model. Finally, a truncated version of the model is used to derive a set of two ordinary differential equations and it is argued that these equations are more realistic than those used in earlier models of that form.
20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted)
20 pages, 6 figures, Orig. Life Evol. Biosph. (accepted)
Keywords
Biomolecules, Astrophysics, Biological Physics