Cyclodextrin dimer becomes synthetic polymerase

Chemists have made an artificial polymerase that doesn't need a metal catalyst or organic solvents and is more efficient than current bioinspired approaches. The new 'enzyme' is made from a dimer of two donut shaped cyclodextrin molecules; one cyclodextrin catalyses the reaction and the other holds the growing polymer string in place. 

Akira Harada, at Osaka University, Japan, and colleagues wanted to create a synthetic polymerase that would be efficient and also environmentally friendly - unlike polymerisation processes currently used by the chemical industry. They decided to investigate cyclodextrin molecules as a polymerisation catalyst because cyclodextrin molecules have been used as catalysts before.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/July/15071104.asp