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The Chirality of the Cholesteric Phases of DNA and G‐Wires: Its Connection to their Molecular Structures
Author(s) -
Proni Gloria,
Gottarelli Giovanni,
Mariani Paolo,
Spada Gian Piero
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/1521-3765(20000901)6:17<3249::aid-chem3249>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - crystallography , helix (gastropod) , chirality (physics) , physics , helicity , phase change , materials science , chemistry , stereochemistry , condensed matter physics , thermodynamics , biology , quantum mechanics , ecology , nambu–jona lasinio model , quark , chiral symmetry breaking , snail
While the handedness of the cholesteric phases formed by assembled guanosine derivatives (G‐wires) follow the correlation right‐handed helices→right‐handed cholesterics (left‐handed →left‐handed), the cholesteric phase formed by B‐DNA (right‐handed helix) is left‐handed. This apparent discrepancy is overcome by considering pitch ( p ) variations with temperature. Plots of p −1 versus T −1 have, in fact, the same trend (positive intercept and negative slope) in the case of right‐handed G‐wires and B‐DNA, while for the left‐handed G‐wire of deoxyguanosine monophosphate (dGMP), the opposite behavior is observed (negative intercept and positive slope). Therefore, the relation between molecular handedness and cholesteric helicity cannot, in general, be assessed by using measurements based on a single temperature; hence the temperature variation of the cholesteric parameters should be investigated. In all cases there is no remarkable salt effect on the cholesteric parameters.