Peptide synthesis in aqueous microdroplets Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Organic chemistry on water has been shown to occur with large changes in reaction rates, products, and mechanisms as compared with the associated bulk aqueous chemistry (1–8). Chemistry “on” water refers to chemistry occurring between water and any nonpolar media such as oil or air. While detailed mechanisms of chemistry on water are still controversial (1, 9–15), investigations of the structure, charges, and hydrogen bonding at the water surface attempt to elucidate the unique nature of water–air interfaces, which have been proposed to be auspicious environments for organic reactions (1, 16–19). Holden et al. (2) make a significant contribution in this field, with the synthesis of peptides at the surface of microdroplets.