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Related Concept Videos

Chirality02:25

Chirality

23.0K
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...
23.0K
Chirality in Nature02:30

Chirality in Nature

12.8K
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.
12.8K
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
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers02:25

Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers

11.2K
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...
11.2K
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds02:33

Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds

8.7K
In this lesson, we delve into the role of ring conformation and its stability, which determines the spatial arrangement and, consequently, the molecular symmetry and stereoisomerism of cyclic compounds. 1,2-Dimethylcyclohexane is used as a case study to evaluate the possible number of stereoisomers. Here, given the multiple (n = 2) chiral centers, there are 2n = 4 possible configurations that lack a plane of symmetry, as the ring skeleton exists in a non-planar chair conformation. In addition,...
8.7K
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

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Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

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Structural evolution during reversible halogen intercalation into WTe<sub>2</sub>: commensurate-incommensurate WTe2I and multistage WTe<sub>2</sub>Br<sub><i>x</i></sub> (<i>x</i> = 0.5, 1.0 and 1.25).

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2026
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Lattice Excitations with Finite Polarization and Magnetization.

Physical review letters·2026
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Intercalation of alkali metal into WTe<sub>2</sub>, the crystal structure of <i>A</i><sub>0.5</sub>WTe<sub>2</sub> and observation of a metal-to-semiconductor transition.

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2026
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Multicolor Phonon Excitation in Terahertz Cavities.

Physical review letters·2026
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Chiral phonons in polar LiNbO<sub>3</sub>.

Nature communications·2025
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Synthesis and SHG properties of the melamine-based material (C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>6</sub>H<sub>7</sub>)ZnX<sub>3</sub>(C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>6</sub>H<sub>6</sub>) (X = Cl, Br).

Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 31, 2025

A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
08:07

A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality

Published on: March 11, 2022

2.3K

Chirality à la carte.

Carl P Romao1, Dominik M Juraschek2

  • 1Section of Solid State and Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|January 23, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Light rapidly switches crystals between achiral and chiral states. This discovery offers new possibilities for advanced optical materials and light-controlled technologies.

Area of Science:

  • Solid-state physics
  • Crystallography
  • Photonics

Background:

  • Chirality is a fundamental property in materials science with applications in optics and pharmaceuticals.
  • Controlling chiral states in crystals typically requires complex external stimuli.
  • Understanding light-matter interactions is key to developing novel responsive materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of light on the chiral states of a specific crystal.
  • To determine the speed and mechanism of light-induced switching between achiral and chiral states.
  • To explore the potential of light as a control parameter for crystal properties.

Main Methods:

  • Crystallographic analysis to identify structural phases.
  • Spectroscopic techniques to probe optical properties.

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A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
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  • Light irradiation experiments using tunable lasers.

    • Main Results:

    • Observed a rapid, reversible switching between achiral and chiral states upon light exposure.
    • Quantified the switching speed, demonstrating ultrafast transitions.
    • Identified the specific wavelengths of light responsible for inducing the phase change.

    Conclusions:

    • Light can effectively and rapidly control the chirality of certain crystals.
    • This finding opens avenues for light-addressable chiral materials.
    • Potential applications in optical switches, sensors, and data storage devices.