Spontaneous generation and propagation of chiral asymmetry

Significant enantiomeric excesses and chiral symmetry breaking can be generated by chirally autocatalytic systems. Although several theoretical models were proposed some time ago, chirally autocatalytic systems have been hard to find. During the 1990's, however, several chirally autocatalytic systems have been identified. A survey of these systems points to the general fact that chiral selectivity near a chiral surface could be substantial. In our effort to identify the mechanisms that could have produced the amino acid enantiomeric excess observed in meteorites, such processes should be taken into account. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.