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Chirality

Chirality

Chirality is a term that describes the lack of mirror symmetry in an object. In other words, chiral objects cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, our feet are chiral, as the mirror image of the left foot, the right foot, cannot be superposed on the left foot.
Chiral objects exhibit a sense of handedness when they interact with another chiral object. For example, our left foot can only fit in the left shoe and not in the right shoe. Achiral objects — objects that have...

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

Molecules that possess multiple chiral centers can afford a large number of stereoisomers. For instance, while some molecules like 2-butanol have one chiral center, defined as a tetrahedral carbon atom with four different substituents attached, several molecules like butane-2,3-diol have multiple chiral centers. A simple formula to predict the number of stereoisomers possible for a molecule with n chiral centers is 2n. However, there can be a lower number where some of the stereoisomers are...

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

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...

Prochirality

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...

Chirality in Nature

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...

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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods

Preparation and Photoacoustic Analysis of Cellular Vehicles Containing Gold Nanorods

Published on: May 2, 2016

Au nanorod helical superstructures with designed chirality.

Xiang Lan¹, Xuxing Lu, Chenqi Shen

¹Key Laboratory of Nano-Bio Interface, Division of Nanobiomedicine and i-Lab, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Suzhou, 215123 China.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|December 18, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created programmable chiral gold nanorod (AuNR) helical superstructures using DNA origami. This method allows precise control over chirality and assembly for advanced nanomaterials.

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Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates

Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates

Published on: March 5, 2019

Area of Science:

Nanotechnology
Materials Science
Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

Organizing anisotropic nanomaterials into 3D superstructures with specific properties is a significant challenge in nanotechnology.
Controlling chirality in nanomaterial assemblies is crucial for applications in optics and electronics.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a programmable method for constructing anisotropic gold nanorod (AuNR) helical superstructures with tailored chirality.
To investigate the influence of DNA origami templating on the assembly and chiroptical properties of AuNR helices.

Main Methods:

Utilizing a two-dimensional DNA origami template with specifically designed 'X' patterns of DNA capturing strands.
Functionalizing AuNRs with complementary DNA sequences for precise positioning on the origami template.
Intercalating the DNA origami template between neighboring AuNRs to form helical superstructures.

Main Results:

Successfully constructed left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) AuNR helices by tuning the DNA origami 'X' patterns.
Achieved precise control over inter-rod distance (14 nm) and inter-rod angle (45°), forming helices up to 220 nm long with 9 AuNRs.
Demonstrated tunable AuNR assembly (2 to 9 AuNRs per helix) by adjusting the AuNR/origami molar ratio.
Observed intense chiroptical activities in the longest helices, with a maximum anisotropy factor of ~0.02.

Conclusions:

The DNA origami templated assembly provides a programmable route to fabricate anisotropic chiral superstructures.
This strategy enables precise control over the chirality and dimensions of gold nanorod helices.
The developed method holds potential for creating optically active nanostructures for applications in chiral sensing, signal amplification, and spectroscopy.