Ladders, polygons and helices

Self-assembly processes are also at the heart of DNA replication and protein encoding. The intracellular DNA is able to unwind and template the formation of t-RNA (transfer ribonucleic acid). The RNA backbone contains an extra oxygen atom at each of the sugar groups which allows for it to pass out of the cell nucleus. It is this RNA strand that codes the production of proteins within the ribosome of the cell. It has recently been found that DNA helices can also coil into several more complex shapes, such as knots (Section 3.4.6). 

3 Ladders polygons and helices 3.3.1 Self-assembly using metal templates 

Fujita, M. Metal directed self-assembly of two- and three-dimensional synthetic receptors, Chem. Soc. Rev., 1998, 27, 417-426. 

Perhaps the simplest way to begin understanding some synthetic self-assembled systems is to look at assemblies that contain regular arrays of templating metal ions. Metal-templated systems have the potential to be more predictable than 

Mono/Polytopic Ligands A descriptive term for how many individual binding sites a ligand contains. 

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