Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Redox Reactions

Redox Reactions

Oxidation-reduction or redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one molecule or atom to another. When an atom gains an electron, another atom must lose an electron, meaning oxidation and reduction must occur together. Since the redox occurs in pairs, the atom that gets oxidized is also called the reducing agent or reductant, and the atom that is reduced is also called the oxidizing agent or oxidant. A straightforward way to remember the definitions of oxidation and reduction is...

Redox Reactions

Redox Reactions

Redox reactions are vital biochemical processes that underpin energy metabolism in cells. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons between molecules, occurring in tandem as oxidation and reduction. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, while reduction denotes their gain. This coupling ensures the seamless flow of electrons through metabolic pathways. For example, in bacterial metabolism, glucose undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is simultaneously reduced to...

Radical Reactivity: Overview

Radical Reactivity: Overview

Radicals, the highly reactive species, gain stability by undergoing three different reactions. The first reaction involves a radical-radical coupling, in which a radical combines with another radical, forming a spin‐paired molecule. The second reaction is between a radical and a spin‐paired molecule, generating a new radical and a new spin‐paired molecule. The third reaction is radical decomposition in a unimolecular reaction, forming a new radical and a spin‐paired molecule. These three...

Resonance and Hybrid Structures

Resonance and Hybrid Structures

According to the theory of resonance, if two or more Lewis structures with the same arrangement of atoms can be written for a molecule, ion, or radical, the actual distribution of electrons is an average of that shown by the various Lewis structures.
Resonance Structures and Resonance Hybrids
The Lewis structure of a nitrite anion (NO2−) may actually be drawn in two different ways, distinguished by the locations of the N–O and N=O bonds.

Redox Equilibria: Overview

Redox Equilibria: Overview

A reduction-oxidation reaction is commonly called a redox reaction. In a redox reaction, electrons are transferred from one species to another rather than being shared between or among atoms. The reducing agent or reductant is the species that loses electrons and gets oxidized in the process. The species that gains electrons and gets reduced in the process is the oxidizing agent or oxidant. Redox reactions are represented as two separate equations called half-reactions, where one equation...

Molecular Models

Molecular Models

Physical models representing molecular architectures of chemical compounds play essential roles in understanding chemistry. The use of molecular models makes it easier to visualize the structures and shapes of atoms and molecules.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Densely Packed and Well-Aligned Liquid-Crystalline Scaffolds Drive Controllable Axial Crystal Strain.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Record-high Glass coefficient in the shift current response of a ferroelectric halide perovskite.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Concordance for myositis-specific autoantibody detection between commercial ELISA and line blot assays: a multicentre study conducted across the Asia-Pacific region.

Rheumatology (Oxford, England)·2026

Same author

Protective Role of Oxides on Pb-Free Halide Perovskite Surfaces: Interfacial Effects and Excitonic Optical Properties from First-Principles.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

Decoupling of hygromechanical stimuli without cross-interference enabled by distinct ion-electron charge transport.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Iminophosphonamido-Supported Plumbyliumylidenes: Structural Effects of Counter Anions and Lewis Acid Catalysis.

Inorganic chemistry·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 29, 2018

Redox-responsive molecular helices with highly condensed π-clouds.

Eisuke Ohta¹, Hiroyasu Sato, Shinji Ando

¹RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.

Nature Chemistry

|December 17, 2010

Summary

This study reveals a redox-responsive helical oligomer that exhibits dynamic motion and chiral symmetry-breaking during crystallization. Oxidation locks the helix, creating a lasting chiroptical memory.

More Related Videos

Defining Hsp33's Redox-regulated Chaperone Activity and Mapping Conformational Changes on Hsp33 Using Hydrogen-deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Defining Hsp33's Redox-regulated Chaperone Activity and Mapping Conformational Changes on Hsp33 Using Hydrogen-deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 7, 2018

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks

Published on: June 9, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals

Published on: May 29, 2018

Defining Hsp33's Redox-regulated Chaperone Activity and Mapping Conformational Changes on Hsp33 Using Hydrogen-deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Defining Hsp33's Redox-regulated Chaperone Activity and Mapping Conformational Changes on Hsp33 Using Hydrogen-deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 7, 2018

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks

Published on: June 9, 2023

Area of Science:

Organic Chemistry
Supramolecular Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Helical structures are crucial in chemistry for chiral applications like compound separation and molecular machines.
Polymeric ortho-phenylenes naturally form tight helices due to steric forces, creating dense pi-clouds.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dynamic motion and redox-responsive behavior of an oligomeric ortho-phenylene.
To explore the phenomenon of chiral symmetry-breaking during crystallization in helical systems.
To understand the mechanism of conformational locking induced by oxidation.

Main Methods:

Synthesis and characterization of a helical oligomeric ortho-phenylene.
Solution-state dynamic motion analysis (inversion rates).
X-ray crystallography of both neutral and oxidized forms.
Spectroscopic analysis to study the electronic changes upon oxidation.

Main Results:

The helical oligomer exhibits rapid inversion in solution.
Crystallization leads to chiral symmetry-breaking, yielding enantiomerically enriched crystals.
One-electron oxidation significantly suppresses the dynamic helical motion.
X-ray crystallography reveals a delocalized hole in the oxidized form, causing conformational locking.

Conclusions:

The redox-responsive helical oligomer demonstrates tunable dynamics and controllable chirality.
Oxidation-induced conformational locking provides a mechanism for long-lasting chiroptical memory.
This work opens avenues for designing dynamic chiral materials and molecular switches.