Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Author Spotlight: A Bicelle Crystallization Setup for ABC Transporter Membrane Proteins to Advance Drug Development
Published on: August 25, 2023
Chirality-Selected Coacervate by Chiral Gemini Surfactant
Lili Zhou1,2, Jie Wang1,3, Zhichen Xiong4,5
1CAS Key Laboratory of Colloid, Interface and Chemical Thermodynamics, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, and Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
Chirality significantly influences self-assembly in chiral gemini surfactants and mandelic acid mixtures. Specific stereochemistry dictates the formation of distinct structures like coacervates, crucial for sequestering solutes and binding water.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Chemical Biology
Background:
- Chiral surfactants can self-assemble into chiral supramolecular structures.
- The impact of stereochemistry on simple coacervate formation is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate chirality-selected phase behavior in mixtures of a chiral gemini surfactant and chiral mandelic acid.
- To understand how stereochemistry affects the self-assembly and properties of coacervates.
Main Methods:
- Studied mixtures of chiral gemini surfactant 1,4-bis(dodecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium bromide)-2,3-butanediol (12-4(OH)2-12) and chiral mandelic acid (MA).
- Analyzed phase behavior and aggregate structures formed by different stereoisomers (racemate, enantiomer, mesomer).
Main Results:
- Altering surfactant chirality regulated phase behavior, forming wormlike micelles, coacervates, or hydrogels.
- Coacervates formed by enantiomers exhibited liquid-like properties, solute sequestration, and high water affinity.
- Hydrogels and wormlike micelles showed limited hydration and no encapsulation capabilities.
Conclusions:
- Stereochemistry is a critical factor in directing self-assembly and coacervate properties.
- Enantiomerically pure coacervates offer unique advantages for solute sequestration and water binding.
- These findings provide insights into molecular-level chirality's role in biological processes and early life evolution.
More Related Videos
09:43Interfacial Molecular-level Structures of Polymers and Biomacromolecules Revealed via Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy
Published on: August 13, 2019
13:38Synthesis of Biocompatible Liquid Crystal Elastomer Foams as Cell Scaffolds for 3D Spatial Cell Cultures
Published on: April 11, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Chirality
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...
Chirality in Nature
Prochirality
Racemic Mixtures and the Resolution of Enantiomers
Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...