Replication of α-amino acids via Strecker synthesis with amplification and multiplication of chiral intermediate aminonitriles.

Replication of chiral l- and d-α-(p-tolyl)glycine has been achieved in combination with the asymmetric induction, amplification and multiplication of their own chiral intermediates, l- and d-aminonitriles, in the solid-phase via the Strecker reaction between three achiral components, which is a plausible prebiotic mechanism for amino acid synthesis.