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Related Concept Videos

Chirality02:25

Chirality

23.6K
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...
23.6K
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers02:25

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

11.4K
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...
11.4K
Chirality in Nature02:30

Chirality in Nature

13.2K
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.
13.2K
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur02:30

Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

5.7K
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...
5.7K
Prochirality02:05

Prochirality

3.8K
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...
3.8K
Fischer Projections02:18

Fischer Projections

13.1K
Learning to draw Fischer projections of molecules and understanding their relevance plays a crucial role in the visual depiction of organic molecules. A Fischer projection is a two-dimensional projection on a planar surface to simplify the three-dimensional wedge–dash representation of molecules. This is especially helpful in the case of molecules with multiple chiral centers that can be difficult to draw. Here, all the bonds of interest are represented as horizontal or vertical lines.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2025

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment
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Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment

Published on: July 5, 2019

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Emerging chiral two-dimensional materials.

Jinqiao Dong1, Yan Liu1, Yong Cui2

  • 1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules and State Key Laboratory of Metal Matrix Composites, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China.

Nature Chemistry
|August 21, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Ultrathin chiral two-dimensional (2D) crystals now exhibit global chirality, a property previously absent in 2D materials. This breakthrough enables sophisticated functions by amplifying molecular chirality in 2D structures.

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Probe Type II Band Alignment in One-Dimensional Van Der Waals Heterostructures Using First-Principles Calculations
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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Crystallography

Background:

  • Research in two-dimensional (2D) materials has rapidly expanded since graphene's discovery.
  • 2D materials possess unique properties due to their ultrathin morphology and high aspect ratios.
  • Global chirality was a notable missing property in 2D materials until recently.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a forward-looking perspective on the emerging field of ultrathin chiral 2D crystals.
  • To comprehend the fundamental principles of global chirality in two dimensions.
  • To explore new research directions and potential applications for these materials.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental achievements in chiral 2D materials.
  • Focus on design strategies and synthesis techniques.
  • Analysis of structural characterization and fundamental physical properties.

Main Results:

  • Several distinct types of ultrathin chiral 2D crystals have been successfully implemented.
  • Demonstration of how local chirality can be transmitted and amplified in 2D structures.
  • Observation of unique global chirality arising from molecular-scale chirality.

Conclusions:

  • The emergence of global chirality in 2D materials opens new avenues for advanced functionalities.
  • Understanding the transmission and amplification of chirality is key to designing novel 2D materials.
  • Chiral 2D crystals hold significant promise for future technological applications.