Premium
The Electron Spin as a Chiral Reagent
Author(s) -
Metzger Tzuriel S.,
Mishra Suryakant,
Bloom Brian P.,
Goren Naama,
Neubauer Avner,
Shmul Guy,
Wei Jimeng,
Yochelis Shira,
Tassinari Francesco,
Fontanesi Claudio,
Waldeck David H.,
Paltiel Yossi,
Naaman Ron
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201911400
Subject(s) - enantioselective synthesis , enantiopure drug , spin polarization , molecule , chemistry , reagent , electron , chemical physics , electrochemistry , spin (aerodynamics) , polarization (electrochemistry) , computational chemistry , photochemistry , electrode , organic chemistry , physics , catalysis , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
We show that enantioselective reactions can be induced by the electron spin itself and that it is possible to replace a conventional enantiopure chemical reagent by spin‐polarized electrons that provide the chiral bias for enantioselective reactions. Three examples of enantioselective chemistry resulting from electron‐spin polarization are presented. One demonstrates the enantioselective association of a chiral molecule with an achiral self‐assembled monolayer film that is spin‐polarized, while the other two show that the chiral bias provided by the electron helicity can drive both reduction and oxidation in enantiospecific electrochemical reactions. In each case, the enantioselectivity does not result from enantiospecific interactions of the molecule with the ferromagnetic electrode but from the polarized spin that crosses the interface between the substrate and the molecule. Furthermore, the direction of the electron‐spin polarization defines the handedness of the enantioselectivity. This work demonstrates a new mechanism for realizing enantioselective chemistry.