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Related Concept Videos

Chirality in Nature02:30

Chirality in Nature

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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.
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Chirality02:25

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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...
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Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity02:24

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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,...
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Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds02:33

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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,...
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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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Prochirality02:05

Prochirality

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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...
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CD Spectroscopy to Study DNA-Protein Interactions
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Natural Circular Dichroism beyond Chirality.

Elen Duverger-Nédellec1, Alessandro De Frenza2, Patrick Rosa1

  • 1Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France.

Journal of the American Chemical Society
|June 23, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers used X-rays to observe natural circular dichroism in achiral crystals, overcoming UV-vis measurement limitations. This finding confirms symmetry predictions and reveals insights into crystal structure determination.

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Area of Science:

  • Solid-state physics
  • Crystallography
  • Spectroscopy

Background:

  • Natural optical activity in crystals is predicted by symmetry but difficult to measure in UV-vis ranges due to birefringence.
  • Achiral point groups theoretically allow for optical activity, but experimental verification is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally demonstrate natural circular dichroism in specific achiral crystal systems.
  • To investigate the influence of crystal symmetry on optical activity using X-ray spectroscopy.
  • To explore the relationship between crystal point groups, space groups, and observed optical phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized X-ray spectroscopy to probe copper and iron coordination salts.
  • Focused measurements at the K-edges of copper and iron.
  • Analyzed experimental data against symmetry predictions for achiral point groups (4̅2m and 4̅).

Main Results:

  • Successfully observed natural circular dichroism in copper and iron coordination salts crystallizing in achiral point groups.
  • Experimental angular dependence of circular dichroism matched theoretical predictions based on point group symmetry.
  • An angular phase shift was observed for the 4̅ point group, attributed to space group translation operations.

Conclusions:

  • X-ray spectroscopy provides a viable method for measuring natural circular dichroism in achiral crystals, overcoming UV-vis limitations.
  • The study validates symmetry-based predictions for optical activity in specific achiral crystal structures.
  • Space group symmetry, specifically translation operations, plays a crucial role in defining crystalline axes, impacting observed optical properties.