Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Accessing Valuable Ligand Supports for Transition Metals: A Modified, Intermediate Scale Preparation of 1,2,3,4,5-Pentamethylcyclopentadiene
Published on: March 20, 2017
Absolute configuration of monodentate phosphine ligand enantiomers on Cu(111)
Mei-Juan Han1, Dong Wang, Ju-Min Hao
1Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China.
Abstract:
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been employed to investigate the chirality of monophosphine compounds that are highly efficient chiral ligands in transition-metal-catalyzed organic transformations. The absolute configuration of 1-(2-diphenyphosphino-1-naphthyl)isoquinoline enantiomers with axial chirality was discriminated directly by the "marker" group, PPh(2) substitutes. Although the two enantiomer molecules adsorb on a Cu(111) surface and form well-defined (4 x 4) structures, the positions of PPh(2) substitutes in the molecular adlayers are different. The mirror symmetry between two adlayers is demonstrated. On the basis of STM results, structural models are proposed to interpret the chiral adsorption. The results presented here supply a straightforward method for axial chirality analysis in adsorbed adlayers by STM.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Prochirality
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...
Naming Enantiomers
Coordination Number and Geometry
Predicting Molecular Geometry

