Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
Determination of the absolute chirality of tellurium using resonant diffraction with circularly polarized x-rays
Y Tanaka1, S P Collins, S W Lovesey
1RIKEN SPring-8 Centre, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan. ytanaka@riken.jp
Abstract:
Many proteins, sugars and pharmaceuticals crystallize into two forms that are mirror images of each other (enantiomers) like our right and left hands. Tellurium is one enantiomer having a space group pair, P3(1)21 (right-handed screw) and P3(2)21 (left-handed screw). X-ray diffraction with dispersion correction terms has been playing an important role in determining the handedness of enantiomers for a long time. However, this approach is not applicable for an elemental crystal such as tellurium or selenium. We have demonstrated that positive and negative circularly polarized x-rays at the resonant energy of tellurium can be used to absolutely distinguish right from left tellurium. This method is applicable to chiral motifs that occur in biomolecules, liquid crystals, ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics, multiferroics, etc.
Related Concept Videos
Determination of Crystal Structures
Predicting Molecular Geometry
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
X-ray Crystallography
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
Prochirality
Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

