In
chemistry, folding is the process by which a molecule assumes its shape or
conformation. The process can also be described as intramolecular self-assembly, a type of
molecular self-assembly, where the molecule is directed to form a specific shape through
noncovalent interactions
In chemistry, a non-covalent interaction differs from a covalent bond in that it does not involve the sharing of electrons, but rather involves more dispersed variations of electromagnetic interactions between molecules or within a molecule. The ...
, such as
hydrogen bonding, metal coordination,
hydrophobic forces,
van der Waals force
In molecular physics, the van der Waals force is a distance-dependent interaction between atoms or molecules. Unlike ionic or covalent bonds, these attractions do not result from a chemical electronic bond; they are comparatively weak and th ...
s,
pi-pi interaction
In chemistry, pi stacking (also called π–π stacking) refers to the presumptive attractive, noncovalent pi interactions ( orbital overlap) between the pi bonds of aromatic rings. However this is a misleading description of the phenomena sin ...
s, and/or electrostatic effects.
The most active area of interest in the folding of molecules is the process of
protein folding
Protein folding is the physical process by which a protein chain is translated to its native three-dimensional structure, typically a "folded" conformation by which the protein becomes biologically functional. Via an expeditious and reproduc ...
, which is the shape that is assumed by a specific sequence of
amino acids in a protein. The shape of the folded protein can be used to understand its function and design drugs to influence the processes that it is involved in.
There is also a great deal of interest in the construction of artificial folding molecules or
foldamers
In chemistry, a foldamer is a discrete chain molecule ( oligomer) that folds into a conformationally ordered state in solution. They are artificial molecules that mimic the ability of proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides to fold i ...
. They are studied as models of biological molecules and potential application to the development of new functional materials.
See also
*
Secondary structure
*
Tertiary structure
Protein tertiary structure is the three dimensional shape of a protein. The tertiary structure will have a single polypeptide chain "backbone" with one or more protein secondary structures, the protein domains. Amino acid side chains may i ...
References
*A Field Guide to Foldamers. Hill, D. J.; Mio, M. J.; Prince, R. B.; Hughes, T.; Moore, J. S. ''Chem. Rev.'' 2001, ''101'', 3893-4011 .
Supramolecular chemistry
Self-organization
Stereochemistry
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