Optically active oligomer units in aggregates of a highly unsaturated, optically inactive carotenoid phospholipid

Enantiomers of glycerophospholipids show low or no optical activity. Accordingly, optical activity was not observed with the R enantiomer of a highly unsaturated carotenoyl lysophospholipid in solution. In spite of this, strong Cotton effects are detected in water. The amphiphilic carotenoid-phospholipid monomers associate to form aggregates, whose optical activity is attributed to oligomeric entities. These small helical assemblies cannot exist independently. Yet, the calculated octamer represents the simplest repeating primary unit that sufficiently expresses the absorption properties and supramolecular optical activity.