Taming the Combinatorial Explosion of the Formose Reaction via Recursion within Mineral Environments. Issue 3 (9th September 2019) - Colón‐Santos, Stephanie
Abstract: The front cover artwork is provided by Naomi B. Johnson, University of Glasgow (UK). The image shows the complexity of the combinatorial explosion in the formose reaction and formamide condensation, becoming refined into distinct products through cycles and the influence of minerals. Read the full text of the Communication at10.1002/syst.201900014 . Abstract : "Uncontrolled condensation reactions are known to produce combinatorial explosions of products which are often deemed analytically intractable. We set out to tame the combinatorial explosion of the formose reaction and formamide condensation using recursive cycles and different mineral environments. Through our newly developed "omics" workflow, we found that the product space is reduced by recursive cycling and mineral surfaces provide further selectivity, and also successfully generated sugars and nucleobases in one pot under much simpler conditions than previously.…" This and more about the story behind the front cover can be found in the Communication at10.1002/syst.201900014 .