From parity to chirality:: chemical implications revisited

Parity violation represents an essential property of particle and atomic handedness used to cope with the complex phenomenon of asymmetry in the universe. At the molecular level, however, numerous experiments suggest that parity-violating energy differences have not determined the amplification and propagation of homochirality. Asymmetric transformations conducted under far-from-equilibrium conditions reveal the existence of non-linear autocatalysis which is stochastic in nature. Tn any event and, globally considered, chirality appears as a unifying characteristic of our visible environment with evolutionary implications, thereby suggesting areas for productive research. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.