Chiral symmetry breaking induced by energy dissipation

Abstract

Spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking is observed in a wide variety of systems on very different scales, from the subatomic to the cosmological. Despite its generality and importance for a large...

Thermodynamic Insights into Symmetry Breaking: Exploring Energy Dissipation across Diverse Scales

“…The diverse proportions of enantiomeric crystals can be understood by applying thermodynamic principles [ 51 ]. To illustrate this, it is essential to calculate the free energy change in the process.…”

“…Experiments consisting of evaporating the solvent to obtain NaClO 3 crystals [ 34 ], performed by stirring the sample, revealed a significant disproportion in the concentrations of both enantiomeric crystals of NaClO 3 . In a recent study, it was found that the energy dissipation rate of the phase change and heat transfer determines the enantiomeric excess percentage in the case of enantiomeric crystals of NaClO 3 [ 51 ]: and are the nucleation rates of both enantiomers, whereas and are the driving force (fugacity difference between liquid and solid state). Moreover, is the thermal conductivity of the system and T is the temperature.…”

Chiral supramolecular polymers

“…Symmetry breaking implies the spontaneous generation of enantiomeric excess from an equimolecular mixture of two enantiomers through the application of an external stimulus, usually stirring, solvent, a magnetic field or light. 98 Symmetry breaking is often observed in the field of crystallization upon the application of controlled stirring. Following this strategy, Ribo ´and coworkers were able to generate chiral aggregates from diluted solutions of 4-sulfonatephenylporphyrins by biasing the stirring direction.…”

Orbiting Self‐Organization of Filament‐Tethered Surface‐Active Droplets

“…Dissipative chemical systems play a central role in the bottom‐up emergence of complex phenomena, such as pattern formation, transient gelation, and (collective) motion. [ 1–3 ] Characteristic of dissipative systems is the requirement of constant input of energy, for example, by an external light source or conversion of “fuel” molecules via a chemical reaction. [ 4–11 ] While synthetic matter usually resides in a single state that is determined by thermodynamic equilibrium, the constant dissipation of energy unlocks out‐of‐equilibrium configurations.…”

“…[ 4–11 ] While synthetic matter usually resides in a single state that is determined by thermodynamic equilibrium, the constant dissipation of energy unlocks out‐of‐equilibrium configurations. [ 1,12,13 ] As a result, dissipative systems are able to reversibly switch between a variety of configurations as they adapt their structure to external stimuli. [ 14–16 ] These principles provide a foundation for the construction of adaptive chemical systems with properties mimicking those of living organisms, which are themselves dissipative in nature.…”