Topological Methods in Chemistry and Molecular Biology

This Special Issue is devoted to topological approaches to molecular structures and their symmetries, including biopolymers, synthetic compounds, and crystallographic structures. We describe some possible topics for articles below.

DNA, RNA, proteins, and other biopolymers are flexible enough to exhibit complex topological features in their native state. Biologists believe that the topology of such biopolymers may affect their biological function, though the formation of such features and their exact role is not completely understood. Topology, geometry, dynamics, probability, statistics, and simulations have all been the basis for models of how knots, links, and entanglements may occur in biopolymers, as well as for predictions of topological features that might be discovered in biopolymers in the future.

Symmetry plays an important role in synthesizing compounds and predicting their properties. However, large molecules may not be completely rigid. Thus, their point group may not describe all of their symmetries. Rather, a topological approach which considers their deformations in addition to their rotations and reflections may be useful. For knotted and linked molecules obtained by self-assembly, comparing their topological symmetries to NMR data can help to identify their structure. Furthermore, topology can be used in describing and analyzing crystallographic and other symmetric structures.

Prof. Dr. Erica Flapan
Prof. Dr. Helen Wong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.