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Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity

It is essential to understand the difference between chiral and achiral interactions and the implications thereof in optical activity and their applications. Just as our feet, which are chiral, interact uniquely with chiral objects, such as a pair of shoes, but identically with achiral socks, enantiomers of a molecule exhibit different properties only when they interact with other chiral media. An example of a significant implication from this facet is the phenomenon known as optical activity,...

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.

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...

Potential Due to a Polarized Object

Potential Due to a Polarized Object

A neutral atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a negatively charged electron cloud. When placed in an external electric field, the external electric force pulls the electrons and nucleus apart, opposite to the intrinsic attraction between the nucleus and the electrons. The opposing forces balance each other with a slight shift between the center of masses of the nucleus and the electron cloud, resulting in a polarized atom. On the other hand, a few molecules, like water,...

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...

Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field

Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field

A charged particle experiences a force when moving through a magnetic field. Consider the field to be uniform and the charged particle to move perpendicular to it. If the field is in a vacuum, the magnetic field is the dominant factor determining the motion. Since the magnetic force is perpendicular to the direction of motion, a charged particle follows a curved path. The particle continues to follow this curved path until it forms a complete circle. Another way to look at this is that the...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 28, 2025

Fabrication and Operation of a Nano-Optical Conveyor Belt

Fabrication and Operation of a Nano-Optical Conveyor Belt

Published on: August 26, 2015

Optical gradient force on chiral particles.

Junsuke Yamanishi¹, Hyo-Yong Ahn^1,2, Hidemasa Yamane^3,4

¹Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8585, Japan.

Science Advances

|September 21, 2022

Summary

Circularly polarized light induces a chiral optical force on nanoparticles, dependent on light handedness and particle chirality. This finding offers new methods for chirality sensing and manipulation.

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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025

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Area of Science:

Optics
Nanotechnology
Physical Chemistry

Background:

Chiral nanoparticles interact with light in unique ways.
Optical trapping commonly uses gradient forces, typically dependent on refractive index.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the circular polarization (CP)-dependent gradient force on 3D chiral nanoparticles.
Understand the factors influencing this force, contrasting it with conventional gradient forces.

Main Methods:

Optical trapping of chiral nanoparticles using circularly polarized laser beams.
Experimental measurement and theoretical analysis of the induced gradient force.

Main Results:

The gradient force on chiral nanoparticles is dependent on the handedness of circularly polarized light and the particle's chirality.
Spectral features of the force are influenced by the real refractive index and electromagnetic field perturbations due to chiral resonance.

Conclusions:

The chiral optical force exhibits unique spectral characteristics beyond simple refractive index dependence.
This research opens avenues for advanced chirality sensing, manipulation, and enantioselective processes.