An alternative route to detect parity violating energy differences through Bose-Einstein condensation of chiral molecules

Interactions which do not conserve parity might influence chiral compounds giving rise to a parity violating energy difference (PVED) that might have affected the evolution towards homochirality. However, this tiny effect predicted by electroweak-quantum chemistry calculations is easily masked by thermal effects, making it desirable to reach cold regimes in the laboratory. As an alternative route to the detection of the PVED, we study a simplified model of Bose-Einstein condensation of a sample of non-interacting chiral molecules, showing that it leads to a nonzero optical activity of the condensate and also to a subcritical temperature in the heat capacity, due to the internal structure of the molecule characterized by tunneling and parity violation. This predicted singular behavior found for the specific heat, below the condensation temperature, might shed some light on the existence of the thus far elusive PVED between enantiomers.     

Recent experimental and theoretical developments towards the observation of parity violation (PV) effects in molecules by spectroscopy

Parity violation (PV) at the molecular level is known to be responsible for a tiny energy difference between the two enantiomers of a chiral molecule. This parity violation energy difference (PVED) has not yet been detected by experiment. In the last few years, the search for PV effects in molecules has made important steps ahead for several reasons. On one hand, very accurate infra-red spectroscopy measurements were performed by metrologists on bromochlorofluoromethane (CHFClBr) with a 10 Hz accuracy, which so far is the most precise. On the other hand, relativistic calculations were used for the evaluation of DeltaE(PV) allowing for a screening of favorable molecules for future measurements. The synthesis of such chiral molecules with high parity violation effects is currently being investigated. In memory of Professor Jean-Bernard Robert.     

Stereomutation tunneling switching dynamics and parity violation in chlorineperoxide Cl-O-O-Cl

In a search for efficient spectroscopic avenues toward experiments on molecular parity violation, we investigate the stereomutation tunneling processes in the axially chiral chlorine isotopomers of Cl2O2 by the quasi-adiabatic channel reaction path Hamiltonian (RPH) approach and the corresponding parity violating potentials by means of quantum chemical calculations including our recently developed Multiconfiguration linear response (MC-LR) approach to electroweak quantum chemistry. The calculated ground-state torsional tunneling splittings for all isotopomers of Cl2O2 are much smaller than the parity violating energy differences Delta(pv)E between the enantiomers of these molecules and therefore parity violation is predicted to dominate the quantum dynamics of stereomutation at low energies. We also compare these with torsional ground-state tunneling splittings and parity violating energy differences of the whole series of axially chiral HXYH(+) isotopomers (with X, Y= Cl(+), O, S, Se, Te). A comparison with our previous results for the homologous molecule Cl2S2 shows that for Cl2O2 a spectroscopic high-resolution analysis should be easier and the energy region of large tunneling splittings should be more easily accessible by IR excitation. We thus propose a scheme using "tunneling switching" with vibrational excitation in order to carry out the measurement of time-dependent parity violation in superposition states of initially well-defined parity. We discuss the advantages and drawbacks of such an experiment that can be carried out entirely in the IR spectral range (for Cl2O2 or related molecules).     

Tunneling and Parity Violation in Trisulfane (HSSSH): An Almost Ideal Molecule for Detecting Parity Violation in Chiral Molecules

Measuring the parity‐violating energy difference Δ_pvE between the enantiomers of chiral molecules is a major challenge of current physical‐chemical stereochemistry. An important step towards this goal is to identify suitable molecules for such experiments by means of theory. This step has been made by calculations for the complex dynamics of tunneling and electroweak quantum chemistry of parity violation in the “classic” molecule trisulfane, HSSSH, which satisfies the relevant conditions for experiments almost ideally, as the molecule is comparatively simple and parity violation clearly dominates over tunneling in the ground state. At the same time, the barrier for stereomutation is easily overcome by the S?H infrared chromophore.     

手性氨基酸分子的温度诱导相变——自发对称性破缺与复原

运用统计理论热力学函数自由能ΔG、焓ΔH、熵ΔS、平衡常数K与粒子平动、振动、转动配分函数关系, 并通过变温D- 与L-CDBrClF实例计算, 证明在宏观温度变量下, 可以导致手性分子D⇔L平衡中宇称破缺熵差的反号. 根据作者科研组14年来, 采用变温X衍射、中子衍射、比热、直流和交流磁化率、¹H和¹³C固相核磁共振、拉曼光谱、晶体旋光和双折射、超声测定相变等实验方法, 证明Salam假说预言的温度范围(200～250 K)存在温度变量诱导的相变, 产生自发对称性破缺. 在宇称破缺能差(PVED)接近0条件下, 宇称破缺熵差导致D和L分子反向的物理行为, 产生分叉机制(bifurcation mechanism). D和L分子的能量差别, 可能是早期生命起源时, L氨基酸富集的原因. 实验还发现, 在低温变温下自发对称破缺的复原. 由于晶相结构限制分子重排, Salam相变不是D→L的构型相变.     

宇称与手性——丙氨酸（缬氨酸）对映体宇称破缺能差的实验探索

为什么构成生命的蛋白质全由L型氨基酸组成（DNA和RNA全由D核糖组成）,这是至今未解的科学之谜.由Z°玻色子介导的弱中性流宇称破缺被认为是造成生命分子手性起源的主要原因.1991年Salam提出由于Z°相互作用,电子与电子或电子与核子耦合形成库柏对,在其临界低温下玻色凝聚,有可能引起氨基酸由D型向L型的二级相变,并理论预测相变温度为250 K.本文用差分绝热连续加热量热法测定了100～300 K下D-缬氨酸(丙氨酸)和L-缬氨酸(丙氨酸)的Cp－T图,实验发现在270 K有明显的λ型二级相变.用量子磁强计测定了正向与反向1万高斯下直流磁化率行为,显示出D和L型氨基酸不同电子手征性密度特征.利用毛细管手性柱气相色谱分析否定了Salam预言的氨基酸由D型到L型相变的可能性.本文在实验中发现的相变,虽然不是D型到L型相变,但检测出了电弱力宇称不守恒能差在分子水平上的反映.     

Steps towards molecular parity violation in axially chiral molecules. I. Theory for allene and 1,3-difluoroallene

In view of exploring possibilities for an experimental investigation of molecular parity violation we report quantum-chemical calculations of the parity-conserving and parity-violating potentials in the framework of electroweak quantum chemistry in allene C3H4 and 1,3-difluoroallene C3H2F2, which is nonplanar and axially chiral in the electronic ground state but expected to be nearly planar and achiral in several electronically excited states. The parity-violating potentials Epv for allene and 1,3-difluoroallene calculated with the multiconfiguration linear-response (MC-LR) approach of Berger and Quack [J. Chem. Phys. 112, 3148 (2000)] show qualitatively similar behavior as a function of torsional angle tau with maximum values of about 0.5 pJ mol(-1) for C3H4 and 2 pJ mol(-1) for C3H2F2. However, in the latter case they are asymmetrically shifted around tau=90 degrees , with a nonzero value at the chiral equilibrium geometry resulting in a parity-violating energy difference between enantiomers DeltapvE=Epv(P)-Epv(M)=1.2 pJ mol(-1) (equivalent to about 10(-13) cm(-1)). The calculated barrier heights corresponding to the nonrigid (multiple, and in part chiral) transition states in 1,3-difluoroallene fall in the range of 180-200 kJ mol(-1). These high barriers result in hypothetical tunneling splittings much smaller than DeltapvE and thus parity violation dominates over tunneling for the stereomutation dynamics in 1,3-difluoroallene. Therefore, DeltapvE is predicted to be a spectroscopically measurable energy difference. Two of the lower excited electronic states of C3H2F2 (1A and 3A) are calculated to be planar or quasiplanar, allowing, in principle, for spectroscopic state selection of states of well-defined parity. The results are discussed in relation to possible schemes of measuring parity violation in chiral molecules.     

分子模型及其在手性识别机理研究上的应用

介绍了近十几年来在色谱手性识别机理研究中的分子模型。在这些模型中,采用量子力学、分子力学和分子动力学等方法计算了手性选择试剂与对映体之间的相互作用,并借助X射线晶体学、核磁共振技术和计算机模拟等技术建立了各种分子模型,研究在手性化合物分离过程中的手性识别机理。     

Direct chiral discrimination in NMR spectroscopy

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is unable to distinguish between the two mirror-image forms (enantiomers) of a chiral molecule. This is because the NMR spectrum is determined by the chemical shifts and spin–spin coupling constants which – in the absence of a chiral solvent – are identical for the two enantiomers. We discuss how chirality may nevertheless be directly detected in liquid-state NMR spectroscopy: In a chiral molecule, the rotating nuclear magnetic moment induces an electric dipole moment in the direction perpendicular to itself and to the permanent magnetic field of the spectrometer. We present computations of the precessing electric polarization following a π/2 pulse. Our estimates indicate that the electric polarization should be detectable in favourable cases. We also predict that application of an electrostatic field induces a chirally sensitive magnetization oscillating in the direction of the permanent magnetic field. We show that the electric-field-perturbed chemical shift tensor, the nuclear magnetic shielding polarizability, underlies these chiral NMR effects.     

Automatic assignment of absolute configuration from 1D NMR data

[reaction: see text] Opposite enantiomers exhibit different NMR properties in the presence of an external common chiral element, and a chiral molecule exhibits different NMR properties in the presence of external enantiomeric chiral elements. Automatic prediction of such differences, and comparison with experimental values, leads to the assignment of the absolute configuration. Here two cases are reported, one using a dataset of 80 chiral secondary alcohols esterified with (R)-MTPA and the corresponding (1)H NMR chemical shifts and the other with 94 (13)C NMR chemical shifts of chiral secondary alcohols in two enantiomeric chiral solvents. For the first application, counterpropagation neural networks were trained to predict the sign of the difference between chemical shifts of opposite stereoisomers. The neural networks were trained to process the chirality code of the alcohol as the input, and to give the NMR property as the output. In the second application, similar neural networks were employed, but the property to predict was the difference of chemical shifts in the two enantiomeric solvents. For independent test sets of 20 objects, 100% correct predictions were obtained in both applications concerning the sign of the chemical shifts differences. Additionally, with the second dataset, the difference of chemical shifts in the two enantiomeric solvents was quantitatively predicted, yielding r(2) 0.936 for the test set between the predicted and experimental values.     

采用QSPR模型预测手性二芳基甲烷衍生物保留因子与分离因子

对手性化合物的保留因子和分离因子进行定量结构-特征关系(QSPR)研究, 对于预测保留因子和分离因子甚至对映体的洗脱顺序都起着重要作用. 本文选择手性二芳基甲烷衍生物为研究对象, 采用VolSurf程序计算分子结构参数, 并分别在其与保留因子以及分离因子间建立模型, 采用测试集外部检验、留多法交叉验证和Y随机性检验等方法对分离因子模型的鲁棒性进行了评估, 结果令人满意. 对变量进行分析显示, 分子的球形性, 中等能级的亲水区、亲水-亲脂平衡、两亲矩、合适的氢键给体和受体均有利于异构体在手性固定相上的保留; 一对对映体的高能级的亲水区、低能级的疏水区、两亲矩、合适的氢键给体和受体以及阴离子区之间大的差异对对映体在手性固定相上的分离是有利的. 利用这些模型, 可以轻松地预测对映体的保留因子和分离因子, 甚至洗脱顺序.     

The study of chiral discrimination of organophosphonate derivatives on pirkle type chiral stationary phase by molecular modeling

Molecular modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) have been used to study the chiral discrimination and interaction energy of organophosphonate in N-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)-S-leucine chiral stationary phase (CSP). The elution order of the enantiomers can be predicted from the interaction energy. Quantitative structure-retention relationship (QSRR) has also been used as an alternative method to confirm the elution order of enantiomers. Molecular mechanics (MM), molecular dynamics and QSRR proved to be useful methods to study chiral discrimination.     

Electroweak Quantum Chemistry for Possible Precursor Molecules in the Evolution of Biomolecular Homochirality

The unified `electroweak' theory of the electromagnetic and weak nuclear interactions in physics predicts a small energy difference (ΔE_pv) between the left‐ and right‐handed enantiomers of chiral molecules. Thus, electroweak theory provides one of several possible explanations for the origin of biomolecular homochirality (nature's preference for L ‐amino acids and D ‐monosaccharides). Recent systematic electroweak quantum‐chemical studies find ΔE_pv to be an order of magnitude larger than previously anticipated, which has sparked renewed interest in the subject. The present paper addresses, for the first time, the question of the relative stability of certain possible prebiotic precursor molecules suggested in the work of A. Eschenmoser and co‐workers: aziridine‐2‐carbonitrile (CH₂NHCHCN) and oxiranecarbonitrile (CH₂OCHCN), also commonly referred to as 2‐cyanoaziridine and cyanooxirane, respectively. The cis/trans‐isomerization pathway of aziridine‐2‐carbonitrile is initially characterized by standard quantum‐chemical techniques. At the highest level of theory employed, the trans‐isomer is found to lie by 4.0 kJ mol⁻¹ above its cis‐counterpart. The transition state connecting the two is another 74 kJ mol⁻¹ higher in energy. After including unscaled, harmonic zero‐point energy corrections, these values change to 3.7 and 69 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Using the multi‐configuration linear response (MCLR) approach to electroweak quantum chemistry (R. Berger, M. Quack, J. Chem. Phys. 2000 , 112, 3148), the energy difference between the enantiomers of the various compounds and transition structures has been computed within the random phase approximation, a special case of the general MCLR technique. (S)‐Oxiranecarbonitrile and the (R)‐configurations of aziridine‐2‐carbonitrile are found to be energetically more stable than their mirror images at their equilibrium nuclear configurations. Use of a solvation model to approximate an aqueous environment has a modest, but consistent, effect on the computed parity‐violating energies. In the present examples, solvation increases the magnitude of the parity‐violating energy by ca. 10%.     

α-氯丙酸乙酯对映体与β-环糊精的主客体相互作用

运用量子力学PM3方法模拟α-氯丙酸乙酯((R/S)-ECPA)与β-环糊(β-CD)的主客体相互作用, 探讨(R/S)-ECPA在β-CD上的手性识别机理. 结果表明, (R/S)-ECPA对映体与β-CD形成稳定结合物的结合方式完全不同, (R)-ECPA位于β-CD空腔宽口端, 形成缔合物; (S)-ECPA插入β-CD空腔内形成包结物. 而且, (S)-ECPA与β-CD的结合稳定能低于(R)-ECPA与β-CD的结合稳定能. 在(R/S)-ECPA与β-CD结合物中, (R/S)-ECPA中的手性碳接近葡萄糖单元的C2和C3. (R/S)-ECPA与β-CD之间的手性识别与葡萄糖单元的C2和C3所提供的手性环境和(R/S)-ECPA与β-CD结合的紧密程度密切相关.     

Axially Chiral TADF-Active Enantiomers Designed for Efficient Blue Circularly Polarized Electroluminescence

The use of a chiral, emitting skeleton for axially chiral enantiomers showing activity in thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) with circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) is proposed. A pair of chiral stable enantiomers, (−)-(S)-Cz-Ax-CN and (+)-(R)-Cz-Ax-CN, was designed and synthesized. The enantiomers, both exhibiting intramolecular π-conjugated charge transfer (CT) and spatial CT, show TADF activities with a small singlet–triplet energy difference (ΔE_ST) of 0.029 eV and mirror-image circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activities with large g_lum values. Notably, CP-OLEDs based on the enantiomers feature blue electroluminescence centered at 468 nm with external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 12.5 and 12.7 %, and also show intense CPEL with g_EL values of −1.2×10⁻² and +1.4×10⁻², respectively. These are the first CP-OLEDs based on TADF-active enantiomers with efficient blue CPEL.     

表面等离子体共振技术用于蛋白对氨基酸手性识别的动力学研究

利用SPR技术,以牛血清白蛋白和溶菌酶为探针构筑手性识别传感膜,开展了对L-和D-苯丙氨酸以及L-和D-色氨酸手性识别的动力学研究。实验结果表明,两种蛋白在与每种氨基酸分子的L-和D-型异构体相互作用过程都存在明显的动力学差异。动力学数据进一步显示两种蛋白与每种氨基酸L-型异构体的亲和力均大于D-型。     

“D和L-丙氨酸宇称破缺能差正负”的争论

在宇宙开始大爆炸的时候，电荷变号与镜象反射共轭（CP）是对称的.但现在我们的宇宙绝大部分是正物质核子和电子等组成的，所以我们的宇宙是不对称的. D和L-丙氨酸通常称为对映体（enantiomer），实际上它们并不是由正、反粒子组成的真正的对映体，而是空间反演的，即x→－x, y→－y, z→－z 的非对映异构体（diastereoisomer），所以D-和L-丙氨酸是不对称的，两者间有能量的差别.自然界的力只有弱力是宇称不守恒的.在分子物理中，电弱力宇称不守恒是导致D-和L-丙氨酸能差的根源.所有以前的研究都认为L型丙氨酸比D型稳定.但是，最近以 Quack和 Schwerdtfeger为首的理论物理学家计算了L-丙氨酸在气相和溶液两种状态下,宇称破缺能差与分子构象的关系，提出“D-和L-丙氨酸究竟哪一个稳定”的质疑.由于气相和液相中两面角较难测定，我们用X射线四圆单晶衍射法，测定了270 K和250 K 时D-和L-丙氨酸的O(1)O(2)C(1)C(2)H(4)的原子坐标，算出了二面角，按照 Quack的MC-LR方法，D-和L-丙氨酸宇称破缺能差为1.2×10－19 Hartree, 相当于3.3× 10－18 eV/分子或3.2×10－16 kJ•mol－1，从而得出D-丙氨酸能态高于L-丙氨酸的结论.     

Axially Chiral TADF‐Active Enantiomers Designed for Efficient Blue Circularly Polarized Electroluminescence

The use of a chiral, emitting skeleton for axially chiral enantiomers showing activity in thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) with circularly polarized electroluminescence (CPEL) is proposed. A pair of chiral stable enantiomers, (?)‐(S)‐Cz‐Ax‐CN and (+)‐(R)‐Cz‐Ax‐CN, was designed and synthesized. The enantiomers, both exhibiting intramolecular π‐conjugated charge transfer (CT) and spatial CT, show TADF activities with a small singlet–triplet energy difference (ΔE_ST) of 0.029 eV and mirror‐image circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) activities with large g_lum values. Notably, CP‐OLEDs based on the enantiomers feature blue electroluminescence centered at 468 nm with external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of 12.5 and 12.7 %, and also show intense CPEL with g_EL values of ?1.2×10^?2 and +1.4×10^?2, respectively. These are the first CP‐OLEDs based on TADF‐active enantiomers with efficient blue CPEL.     

Search for Resolution of Chiral Fluorohalogenomethanes and Parity‐Violation Effects at the Molecular Level

The first observation of a parity‐violation effect in molecules induced by weak interactions is still a dream that requires the synthesis and, eventually, the resolution of the enantiomers of well‐chosen simple chiral molecules together with an appropriate experimental set‐up for high‐resolution spectroscopy. Performing IR spectroscopy on highly enantiomerically enriched samples of bromochlorofluoromethane succeeded in giving an upper limit of 10^?13 for the relative vibrational energy difference between the two enantiomers. These results led us to conceive a new experimental set‐up based on a supersonic molecular beam and to work on other chiral molecules, such as chlorofluoroiodomethane. A synthesis of (±)‐CHClFI from racemic chlorofluoroiodoacetic acid should, in the near future permit the preparation of optically active samples of this haloform. The development of molecular beam spectroscopy using a two‐photon Ramsey‐fringes experiment should allow us to reach the precision needed to observe parity violation. These experimental challenges, which stimulate a close collaboration between chemists and physicists, are presented. The success of these projects would open the route to new information on the molecular Hamiltonian, a better knowledge of the electroweak interaction, and a better control of the various chirality‐related properties of simple molecules.     

Cold heteromolecular dipolar collisions

Cold molecules promise to reveal a rich set of novel collision dynamics in the low-energy regime. By combining for the first time the techniques of Stark deceleration, magnetic trapping, and cryogenic buffer gas cooling, we present the first experimental observation of cold collisions between two different species of state-selected neutral polar molecules. This has enabled an absolute measurement of the total trap loss cross sections between OH and ND(3) at a mean collision energy of 3.6 cm(-1) (5 K). Due to the dipolar interaction, the total cross section increases upon application of an external polarizing electric field. Cross sections computed from ab initio potential energy surfaces are in agreement with the measured value at zero external electric field. The theory presented here represents the first such analysis of collisions between a (2)Π radical and a closed-shell polyatomic molecule.