Articles tagged with Chirality
Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a method to control the direction of light emission in microlasers using an exceptional point. By exploiting this physical phenomenon, they can create consistently directed photons, which is crucial for reliable photonic signals and applications.
Researchers detected propylene oxide, a chiral molecule, in the Sagittarius B2(N) molecular cloud using radio astronomy. The finding sheds light on the origins of life and homochirality, with implications for understanding life elsewhere in the universe.
A team of scientists has discovered the first complex organic chiral molecule in interstellar space, propylene oxide, near the center of our Galaxy in a star-forming cloud. The detection opens the door for further experiments to determine how molecular handedness emerges and why one form may be more abundant than the other.
Researchers have detected a chiral molecule called propylene oxide in Sagittarius B2 North, a cloud of gas and dust in the Milky Way galaxy. This discovery sheds light on the origin of homochirality on Earth, which is a phenomenon where life forms predominantly use left-handed molecules.
Researchers have developed a new method for synthesizing phenyl-substituted 3,6-Dihydro-2H-pyran derivatives with high enantiomeric purity. The results showcase the potential of this approach for producing pharmaceuticals and other valuable compounds.
Researchers designed a helix-shaped supercrystal composed of quantum dots to separate organic molecules and enhance drug synthesis. The chirality of the supercrystal allows for accurate detection of chiral biomolecules, enabling precise identification of enantiomers in pharmaceuticals.
Researchers at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have created compact holograms using nanostructures sensitive to light polarization, improving anti-fraud holograms and wearable optics. These holograms can encode multiple images and protect against counterfeiting.
ICIQ researchers have developed a new radical route for synthesizing chiral molecules, combining enantioselective iminium ion chemistry and photoredox catalysis under mild conditions. This breakthrough could lead to more sustainable and responsible stereoselective chemistry.
A group of UK researchers discovered a new type of optical activity by breaking the symmetry of metamaterials with reflected light. This enables novel applications such as polarization rotating and circularly polarizing beam splitters and mirrors, as well as optical isolators for circularly polarized light.
Researchers successfully experimented with chiral magnetic materials that show a unique magnetic twisting effect triggered by weak external magnetic fields. This leads to the development of new types of magnetic memories with unprecedented storage capacities, up to 10 million times larger than conventional magnetic storage memory devices.
Researchers discovered that biological molecules can change the shape of minerals by controlling how they link together, a process that could lead to the development of new drugs and synthetic materials. The study's findings shed light on the importance of chirality in drug development, as seen in the devastating Thalidomide tragedy.
Scientists have discovered a way to generate very low-resistance electric current in zirconium pentatelluride, a semi-metallic material. The discovery relies on the separation of right- and left-handed particles, creating a powerful electric current.
Researchers at TSRI have devised a new method for building potential drug molecules and organic compounds more efficiently and selectively. Amino acids can act as catalytic directing groups, streamlining the process and reducing reagent usage.
A new mathematical model developed by University of Illinois physicists suggests that homochirality can be used as a universal biosignature. The model, based on self-replication and disequilibrium, shows that homochirality appears when self-replication is efficient enough.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Natural Sciences have developed stable, crystalline, porous covalent organic frameworks (COFs) that can be used as platforms for functional exploration. The COFs exhibit enhanced catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in asymmetric Michael reactions.
Researchers have successfully simulated chiral edge states in a quantum system using ultracold ytterbium atoms. The experiment demonstrates the ability to observe chiral currents at the boundaries of two-dimensional materials, similar to those observed in condensed matter physics.
Researchers at University of Vermont invent a new way to use chirality to make a nanoscale wrench, allowing for precise control over the shape of molecules. The discovery holds promise as a highly accurate and fast method of creating customized molecules.
Frustrated magnets can produce tiny magnetic vortices, known as skyrmions, that may be used in memory storage. The discovery opens up a new class of materials for scientists working on skyrmionics, which aims to build logic devices based on skyrmions.
A team of engineers from Vanderbilt University developed the first integrated circularly polarized light detector on a silicon chip. The device uses metamaterials to detect the polarization state of light and has potential applications in drug screening, surveillance, optical communications, and quantum computing.
Researchers at Princeton University have detected the long-sought chiral anomaly in a metallic compound of sodium and bismuth. The finding increases conductivity and may lead to more energy-efficient electronic devices, as impurities scatter current-carrying electrons, causing energy loss.
A University of Texas at Arlington researcher will receive a grant from NASA to further the search for amino acids, which are considered the building blocks of life. The platform aims to detect and separate ions with high precision, using extremely small volumes of samples, in order to identify potential signs of life beyond Earth.
Scientists have developed a rapid method to distinguish between left- and right-handed molecules in a mixture, offering potential breakthroughs in drug development and disease diagnosis. The Mass-Selected PhotoElectron Circular Dichroism technique can identify molecule handedness with high accuracy, even in complex mixtures.
Scientists at ITMO University and Trinity College Dublin discovered that ordinary nanocrystals possess intrinsic chirality, producing a half-and-half mixture of mirror images. This finding has potential applications in targeted drug delivery, medical diagnostics, and nanotoxicology.
The STAR collaboration has observed a 'chiral magnetic wave' rippling through the quark-gluon plasma created at RHIC's energetic particle smashups. This finding provides evidence for the chiral magnetic effect, a quantum phenomenon causing electric charge separation along the axis of a magnetic field.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab found a technique to switch magnetic domain wall chirality, paving the way for desired electronic memory and logic functions. This breakthrough could lead to smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices through solid-state magnetic memory.
DeuteRx has discovered a method for in vivo stabilization and differentiation of thalidomide analogs, improving anti-inflammatory and antitumorigenic properties. The company's 'deuterium-enabled chiral switching' platform enables the testing and development of single enantiomers with improved therapeutic properties.
Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum have received €1.5 million ERC funding to develop novel security mechanisms for the Internet of Things and catalyzers for target-specific drug manufacture.
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that circularly polarized light can influence the self-assembly of nanoparticles into chirally specific structures. This phenomenon has implications for understanding homochirality and potentially developing new methods for inducing chirality in molecules.
Researchers at the University of Basel have created a helical molecule with unique properties, where one strand winds around a central axis like a staircase banister. This 'twisted world' enables dynamic changes in chirality, opening up new possibilities for basic research and industrial applications.
A team from TSRI has established a new C-H activation technique that expands options for making pure batches of one-handed molecules, opening up a new avenue for creating chirally pure molecules for drug discovery. The method uses metal palladium and an amino acid catalyst to break C-H bonds at room temperature.
Researchers have found that magnetite nanocubes can form chiral helices when exposed to an external magnetic field. The helices are formed through a balance of competing forces, including the Zeeman force and dipole-dipole magnetic force.
A Northwestern University research team has created a new type of CNT solar cell that absorbs more sunlight, increasing efficiency by a significant margin. The polychiral CNT mixture is able to capture a broader range of solar-spectrum wavelengths, including near-infrared light.
A team of scientists has successfully created a triple twisted Möbius annulene, a complex molecule with three twists but only one surface. This achievement demonstrates their expertise in manipulating molecular structures and has significant potential for future applications in molecular electronics and optoelectronics.
Researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison develop a dual-catalyst technique using sunlight to control the 'handedness' of product molecules, overcoming UV's limitations. This breakthrough enables easier synthesis of complex chemicals with well-defined chirality.
Researchers at Harvard's SEAS discovered a hemihelix shape, rarely seen in nature, by stretching and joining rubber strips. The shape has a predictable and deterministic growth from a two-dimensional state to a three-dimensional state.
A Polish-German-Italian team developed a polymer with unique optical and electrical properties. It can change its chirality depending on the electric potential applied, mimicking 'chiral breathing'. The material is suitable for polarisation filters, window glasses, and chemical sensors.
Rice University researchers conducted a two-year census of 4,500 possible cap formations for nanotubes, finding that the elastic energy landscapes involved in cap formation do not dictate the nanotube's chirality. Instead, other factors such as catalyst interaction and energy landscape play a crucial role.
Physicists and chemists from Max Planck Institute and Heidelberg University develop method to directly image molecular structure of chiral molecules, revealing their absolute configuration and handedness. This breakthrough enables investigation of individual chiral molecules in the gaseous state.
Researchers at Boston College have developed a novel approach to accelerate a chemical reaction using cooperative co-catalysts. By employing two Lewis base molecules in concert, the team was able to reduce reaction time from two to five days to less than an hour and minimize catalyst loading.
Scientists have developed a new method to discern molecular handedness using tiny nanocubes, which could improve drug development and optical sensors. The approach amplifies the difference in response to light between left- and right-handed molecules.
The study highlights the importance of considering chiral POPs' individual toxicities and sources in assessing environmental risks. Enantiomeric ratio and fraction are used as tracers, revealing altered EF values in organisms and environmental matrices.
Researchers from Aalto University and international partners achieved controlled chirality in carbon nanotubes, opening up new perspectives for structural control and fundamental understanding of nanotube growth. The new catalyst enabled selective growth of semiconducting SWNTs with exceptionally high population of (6,5) tubes.
A team of researchers has successfully cloned single-wall carbon nanotubes with identical structures using a DNA-based technique. This breakthrough solves the challenge of producing nanotubes of specific structure for nanoelectronics.
A team of USC researchers has successfully grown carbon nanotube semiconductors with predefined structures, paving the way for their potential use in future electronics. The breakthrough, known as 'nanotube cloning,' involves using pre-selected and separated carbon nanotubes as seeds to control the growth of longer nanotubes.
Researchers created first artificial molecules whose chirality can be rapidly switched from right-handed to left-handed orientation using a beam of light. This discovery holds huge possibilities for terahertz technologies, including biomedical research and ultrahigh-speed communications.
Researchers used lithography to create achiral particles that spontaneously formed chiral super-structures with distinct orientations. Entropy played a key role in the emergence of chirality, contradicting traditional views on disorder and order. The discovery sheds new light on the physical origins of molecular handedness.
Air Force Research Laboratory experiment confirms Boris Yakobson's theory that chirality of nanotubes determines their growth speed and armchair nanotubes grow fastest. The study provides a basis for further research into growing specific types of nanotubes with desired properties.
Scientists have developed a top-down approach to impose chirality on non-chiral molecules, which could lead to custom-designed properties and desired effects in various fields. The researchers created a twist by rotating liquid crystal molecules along different directions, resulting in induced chirality.
Carnegie Mellon researchers successfully used NMR to determine the structure of infinitesimal gold nanoparticles, revealing their handedness. This approach offers a significant advantage over routine methods for analyzing gold nanoparticles and holds promise for developing safer, more effective drugs.
New research reveals that chiral metal surfaces can control chiral chemistry, offering a novel approach to pharmaceutical drug synthesis. The study finds that certain surface orientations form stable structures with one molecular enantiomer but not the other, promoting enantiospecific effects.
Engineers and scientists at UC Berkeley developed a simple, single-step process to direct M13 phages to serve as structural building blocks. The resulting thin-film structures exhibit complex properties, such as bending light and guiding cell growth. The technique sheds light on the self-assembly of biological tissues in nature.
Researchers at NIST describe using tailored DNA strands to purify armchair carbon nanotubes, essential for 'quantum wires'. This breakthrough enables mass production of these nanotubes, promising 10x better conductivity and lower loss.
Researchers confirm theoretical predictions and discover edge-states in graphene nanoribbons, exhibiting unique electronic properties. The findings open the possibility of building quick-acting, energy-efficient nanoscale devices from graphene-nanoribbon switches.
The new journal, Optical Materials Express, launched by OSA, explores the intersection of optics and materials science, offering rapid online publication and open-access features. The inaugural issue includes research on metamaterials, microlasers, and chiral optical materials.
Research by Prof. Ron Naaman and colleagues reveals that biological molecules, such as DNA, can discern between quantum states of spin, a phenomenon previously thought irrelevant to their function due to their size and temperature. This chiral property enables them to selectively interact with electrons carrying specific spins.
Rice University physicists have created a formula to calculate the energies of graphene cut at any angle, which could lead to controlling the chirality of nanotubes. This breakthrough has profound implications for nanotube growth and offers rational ways to control their symmetry.
A team of researchers has resolved the structural, electronic, and optical properties of a chiral gold nanocluster after ten years of mystery. The cluster, composed of 38 gold atoms and 24 organothiolate molecules, exhibits unique chiral properties that influence its response to circularly polarized light.
A new class of materials may allow nanoscale machines to overcome mechanical friction by harnessing a quantum phenomenon known as the Casimir effect. Chiral metamaterials have been found to exert a repulsive force when placed in close proximity, enabling potential applications in industry, energy, and medicine.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a method to control the structure and function of single-walled carbon nanotubes. By varying the composition of a metal catalyst, they can produce semiconducting nanotubes with desired properties, opening up new possibilities for applications such as medicine delivery and en...
Researchers have discovered different friction forces when carbon nanotubes slide along their axis versus perpendicular to it, which could provide a new tool for assembling nanotubes into devices. The findings also offer insight into fundamental friction issues and potentially be used to sort nanotubes according to their chirality.