Effect of Chiral Molecules on the Electron’s Spin Wavefunction at Interfaces

Abstract

Kelvin-probe measurements on ferromagnetic thin film electrodes coated with self-assembled monolayers of chiral molecules reveal that the electron penetration from the metal electrode into the chiral molecules depends on the ferromagnet’s magnetization direction and the molecules’ chirality. Electrostatic potential differences as large as 100 mV are observed. These changes arise from the applied oscillating electric field, which drives spin-dependent charge penetration from the ferromagnetic substrate to the chiral molecules. The enantiospecificity of the response is studied as a function of the magnetization strength, the magnetization direction, and the handedness and length of the chiral molecules. These new phenomena are rationalized in terms of the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect, in which one spin orientation of electrons from the ferromagnet penetrates more easily into a chiral molecule than does the other orientation. The large potential changes (>kT at room temperature) manifested here imply that this phenomenon is important for spin transport in chiral spintronic devices and for magneto-electrochemistry of chiral molecules.

Long-Range Charge Reorganization as an Allosteric Control Signal in Proteins

“…Put more simply, for one spin orientation the connection of the antibody to the charge reservoir in the substrate is better than that for the other spin orientation, allowing for more facile charge flow. 14 When more electrons flow into or away from the antibody, its internal charge distribution is dynamically modulated in a way that enhances its interaction with the antigen, thereby increasing the rate of binding between the two. This experiment therefore establishes modulation of charge distribution as a means to allosterically affect PPA kinetics, an effect we term charge-reorganization allostery.…”

WITHDRAWN: Can Traditional Chinese Medicine provide insights into controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: Serpentinization-induced lithospheric long-wavelength magnetic anomalies in Proterozoic bedrocks in a weakened geomagnetic field mediate the aberrant transformation of biogenic molecules in COVID-19 via magnetic catalysis

“…Humans and constituent chiral biomolecules are forms of condensed matter ( van der Gucht, 2018 ; Marx, 2020a ); however current theories and frameworks in the biological sciences are predominately governed by classical electrostatics (the electron's charge is the sole determinant of biochemical reactions) ( Honig and Nicholls, 1995 ); therefore, perturbations in the spin state of electrons in chiral biomolecules are assumed to be unimportant, and relevant concepts in condensed matter physics are ignored. The discovery of the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect in chiral biomolecules suggests that an external magnetic field could alter the spin state of electrons in chiral biomolecules and result in the magnetic catalysis of aberrant molecules and pathology in humans and other animals; however, the role of magnetic catalysis in a pandemic has not been explored ( Ghosh et al, 2020 ; Naaman et al, 2019a ; Naaman, 2019 ). Indeed, Naaman et al recently demonstrated that chiral biomolecules-ferromagnetic interfaces mediate spin polarization-induced enantioselective crystallization of biomolecules ( Naaman, 2019 ; Naaman et al, 2019b ).…”

Substrates Modulate Charge-Reorganization Allosteric Effects in Protein–Protein Association

“…This effect is referred to as the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) and serves as an effective valve for the flow of electrons from the surface into the adsorbed protein molecules. 11 It can therefore lead to either acceleration or retardation of antibody–antigen association kinetics, depending on the orientation of the substrate’s magnetization.…”