Chemical systems

Abstract

Despite the well-established complexity research in adjacent domains, chemists have traditionally paid little attention to the study of
complex mixtures of interacting synthetic compounds. But things are about to change because of the current availability of cu tting-edge
analytical methods and the massive interest in systems biology. We highlight the groundbreaking work in systems chemistry whe re
molecular networks are having an impact and talk about some of the motivations for advancing systems chemistry in this introd uctory
overview. There is a difference between thermodynamically controlled and kinetically controlled networks. In the first case, we find
dynamic combinatorial libraries; in the latter, we find oscillating reactions, networks of autocatalytic and replicating mole cules, and
pseudo-dynamic combinatorial libraries. Research like this lays the groundwork for a better understanding of how molecular networks
are structured, how emergent features like amplification and feedback loops come to be, and, maybe, how life came to be. Our ultimate
goal in studying molecular networks is to get the information necessary to design new systems that outperform traditional mat erials in
every way.