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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Coulomb Explosion Imaging as a Tool to Distinguish Between Stereoisomers
Published on: August 18, 2017
Sensing remote chirality: stereochemical determination of β-, γ-, and δ-chiral carboxylic acids
Marina Tanasova1, Mercy Anyika, Babak Borhan
1Department of Chemistry, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931 (USA).
Abstract:
Determining the absolute stereochemisty of small molecules bearing remote nonfunctionalizable stereocenters is a challenging task. Presented is a solution in which appropriately substituted bis(porphyrin) tweezers are used. Complexation of a suitably derivatized β-, γ-, or δ-chiral carboxylic acid to the tweezer induces a predictable helicity of the bis(porphyrin), which is detected as a bisignate Cotton Effect (ECCD). The sign of the ECCD curve is correlated with the absolute stereochemistry of the substrate based on the derived working mnemonics in a predictable manner.
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