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Abstract / Description of output
Nanopores are emerging as a powerful tool for the investigation of nanoscale processes at the single-molecule level. Here we demonstrate the methionine-selective synthetic diversification of α-hemolysin (α-HL) protein nanopores, and their exploitation as a platform for investigating reaction mechanisms. A wide range of functionalities, including azides, alkynes, nucleotides and single-stranded DNA, were incorporated into individual pores in a divergent fashion. The ion currents flowing through the modified pores was used to observe the trajectory of a range of azide-alkyne click reactions, and revealed several short-lived intermediates in Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloadditions (CuAAC) at the single-molecule level. Analysis of ion current fluctuations enabled the populations of species involved in rapidly exchanging equilibria to be determined, facilitating the resolution of several transient intermediates in the CuAAC reaction mechanism. The versatile pore-modification chemistry offers a useful approach for enabling future physical organic investigations of reaction mechanisms at the single-molecule level.
Original language | English |
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Journal | ACS Nano |
Early online date | 13 Mar 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 13 Mar 2019 |
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Dive into the research topics of 'Synthetically Diversified Protein Nanopores: Resolving Click Reaction Mechanisms'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
Research output
- 1 Article
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Functionalised Nanopores: Chemical and Biological Modifications
Cairns-Gibson, D. & Cockroft, S. L., 22 Dec 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Chemical Science.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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