Copper self-assembled arrays

Chemists would like to invent molecules that assemble themselves into specific, we 11-organized arrays. Recently there have been some exciting successes. Our inset is a molecular view of a self-assembled molecular wreath. This organized sfructure forms when four molecular chains weave themselves together in the presence of 12 copper cations. Self-assembling molecular systems could lead to new materials with useful properties. They may also shed light on how life originated. 

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