Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

08:07
A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
Published on: March 11, 2022
Chirality transcription and amplification by [2]pseudorotaxanes
Shunsuke Kuwahara1, Rie Chamura, Sho Tsuchiya
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Toho University, 2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510, Japan.
Summary
Chiral recognition is achieved using achiral crown ethers and chiral ammonium ions to form pseudorotaxanes. This method allows direct detection of the ammonium ions absolute configurations from CD spectra.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Stereochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Chirality is a fundamental property in chemistry and biology.
- Developing methods for chirality detection and amplification is crucial.
- Pseudorotaxanes offer a unique platform for molecular recognition and sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the transcription and amplification of chirality.
- To investigate the formation of chiral [2]pseudorotaxanes.
- To demonstrate direct detection of absolute configurations using CD spectroscopy.
Main Methods:
- Formation of chiral [2]pseudorotaxanes using an achiral crown ether with a 2',2''-quaterphenyl group.
- Complexation with chiral sec-ammonium ions.
- Analysis of circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the resulting pseudorotaxanes.
Main Results:
- Successful formation of chiral [2]pseudorotaxanes.
- Demonstration of chirality transcription from sec-ammonium ions to the pseudorotaxane complex.
- Direct correlation between CD spectra of pseudorotaxanes and the absolute configurations of chiral sec-ammonium ions.
Conclusions:
- The developed system effectively transcribes and amplifies chirality.
- CD spectroscopy of pseudorotaxanes provides a direct method for determining absolute configurations.
- This work offers a novel approach for chiral sensing and analysis.
Related Concept Videos
Prochirality
The concept of prochirality leads to the nomenclature of the individual faces of a molecule and plays a crucial role in the enantioselective reaction. It is a concept where two or more achiral molecules react to produce chiral products. A typical process is the reaction of an achiral ketone to generate a chiral alcohol. Here, the achiral reactant reacts with an achiral reducing agent, sodium borohydride, to generate an equimolar mixture of the chiral enantiomers of the product. For example, an...
SN2 Reaction: Stereochemistry
In an SN2 reaction, the nucleophilic attack on the substrate and departure of the leaving group occurs simultaneously through a transition state. As the nucleophile approaches the substrate from the back-side, the configuration of the substrate carbon changes from tetrahedral to trigonal bipyramidal and then back to tetrahedral, leading to an inversion in the configuration of the product.
If the substrate is an achiral molecule at the α-carbon, the inversion of configuration is not observed.
If the substrate is an achiral molecule at the α-carbon, the inversion of configuration is not observed.
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
In this lesson, we delve into the role of ring conformation and its stability, which determines the spatial arrangement and, consequently, the molecular symmetry and stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds. 1,2-Dimethylcyclohexane is used as a case study to evaluate the possible number of stereoisomers. Here, given the multiple (n = 2) chiral centers, there are 2n = 4 possible configurations that lack a plane of symmetry, as the ring skeleton exists in a non-planar chair conformation. In addition,...
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
Chirality is most prevalent in carbon-based tetrahedral compounds, but this important facet of molecular symmetry extends to sp3-hybridized nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur centers, including trivalent molecules with lone pairs. Here, the lone pair behaves as a functional group in addition to the other three substituents to form an analogous tetrahedral center that can be chiral.
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Chirality in Nature
Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid. The...
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
The absorption of UV–visible light by conjugated systems causes the promotion of an electron from the ground state to the excited state. Consequently, photochemical electrocyclic reactions proceed via the excited-state HOMO rather than the ground-state HOMO. Since the ground- and excited-state HOMOs have different symmetries, the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic reactions depends on the mode of activation; i.e., thermal or photochemical.
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation

