Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
Search for a parity-violating energy difference between enantiomers of a chiral iron complex
Abstract:
Mossbauer spectra for l and d enantiomers of the Fe(phen)3Sb2(C4H2O6)(2);8H(2)O complex are reported. Four independent experiments show a small but reproducible energy shift of the Fe-Mossbauer spectra for the two enantiomers of 0.004+/-0. 002 mm/sec ( 1.9x10(-10) eV). This exceedingly small energy difference is comparable to that predicted by the parity-violating energy difference (PVED) using a Z6.2 scaling law applied to low Z ( Z = 6) molecules. Theoretical calculations suggest that the PVED for the Fe(phen)2+3 moiety should be smaller than this estimate, however, PVED effects of the chiral antimony tartrates are not taken into account.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...
Chirality
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...
Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Chirality in Nature
¹H NMR Chemical Shift Equivalence: Enantiotopic and Diastereotopic Protons
In chiral compounds such as 2-butanol, replacing the methylene hydrogens at C3 produces a pair of...

