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Stereoisomerism

Stereoisomerism

Isomerism in Complexes
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...

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...

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect

In complexation reactions, metal atoms or cations interact with ligands to form donor-acceptor adducts called metal complexes. Ligands that bind through one donor site are monodentate, ligands with two donor sites are bidentate, and those with more than two donor sites are polydentate ligands. For example, ethylene diamine is a bidentate ligand that binds through two nitrogen donor atoms, forming a five-membered ring. EDTA is a polydentate ligand that binds through four oxygen and two nitrogen...

Metal-Ligand Bonds

Metal-Ligand Bonds

The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR

Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR

Published on: December 16, 2013

Encoding Chiral Molecular Information in Metal Structures.

Chularat Wattanakit¹, Alexander Kuhn²

¹School of Energy Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), 21210, Rayong, Thailand.

Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

|November 15, 2019

Summary

Molecular information, including chirality, can now be encoded into bulk metals. This review covers recent advancements in creating these chiral metal materials for advanced applications.

Keywords:

asymmetric synthesis chiral metals chiral separation enantioselective recognition molecular encoding

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Last Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR

Structure and Coordination Determination of Peptide-metal Complexes Using 1D and 2D 1H NMR

Published on: December 16, 2013

Development of Heterogeneous Enantioselective Catalysts using Chiral Metal-Organic Frameworks MOFs

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Published on: January 17, 2020

Preparation of SNS CobaltII Pincer Model Complexes of Liver Alcohol Dehydrogenase

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Published on: March 19, 2020

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Chiral Chemistry
Nanotechnology

Background:

Molecular information, particularly chirality, can be imprinted onto achiral substrates.
Existing methods for encoding chirality in metals rely on chemical and electrochemical principles.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent advancements in developing molecularly encoded metal structures.
To highlight the features and potential applications of these novel materials.

Main Methods:

Entrapment of chiral biomolecules within metal matrices.
Chiral imprinting techniques applied to metals.
Integration of imprinting with nanostructuring approaches.

Main Results:

Demonstration of successful molecular imprinting in metals, including enantiomers.
Development of materials with tunable chirooptical properties.
Achieved enantioselective adsorption, separation, and asymmetric synthesis capabilities.

Conclusions:

Molecularly encoded metal structures offer significant potential for chiral technologies.
These designer materials open new avenues in enantioselective applications.
Advancements pave the way for sophisticated chiral sensing and catalysis.