Self-catalysis in thermal hysteresis during random-coil to helix-dimer transition of the sulfonamidohelicene tetramer.

The sulfonamidohelicene tetramer changes its structure between a random-coil and a helix-dimer, by which molecular thermal hysteresis appears. Mixing experiments on helix-dimer and random-coil solutions and kinetic analysis show that the transition from the random-coil to the helix-dimer involves self-catalysis by the helix-dimer.