Spin-Polarized Electron Induced Asymmetric Reactions in Chiral Molecules

Abstract

Understanding the origin of chirality in nature has been an active area of research since the time of Pasteur. In this chapter we examine one possible route by which this asymmetry could have arisen, namely chiral-specific chemistry induced by spin-polarized electrons. The various sources of spin-polarized electrons (parity violation, photoemission, and secondary processes) are discussed. Experiments aimed at exploring these interactions are reviewed starting with those based on the Vester-Ulbricht hypothesis through recent studies of spin polarized secondary electrons from a magnetic substrate. We will conclude with a discussion of possible new avenues of research that could impact this area.

Mirror-Symmetry-Breaking in Poly[(9,9-di-n-octylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-biphenyl] (PF8P2) is Susceptible to Terpene Chirality, Achiral Solvents, and Mechanical Stirring

“…Mirror-symmetry-breaking (MSB) has long attracted scientists from diverse disciplines [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. So far, several scenarios for efficient MSB have been demonstrated, such as Frank’s bifurcation-type MSB crystallizations and aggregation under seeded, spontaneous, and stochastic resonance conditions [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17], autocatalytic asymmetric catalysis reactions [8,18,19], subjection to an intense static magnetic field with unpolarized light [20], vortex flow in a fluidic medium [21,22,23,24,25], spin-polarized electron beam [26], circularly polarized light irradiation [27,28,29,30,31,32,33], molecular chirality transfer to aggregation and film states at liquid-liquid, liquid crystalline-gas and gas-solid interfaces [34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46], mechanochemical force [47,48], and parity-violating weak nuclear force mediated by Z ° boson [49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,…”

Electrochirogenesis: The Possible Role of Low-Energy Spin-Polarized Electrons in Creating Homochirality

“…For a tabulation of secondary electron yield studies the reader is referred to Table 1 in Ref. [18].…”

“…It is also worth noting that the high energy circularly-polarized "Bremsstrahlen" X-rays produced via the V-U hypothesis would have a very low absorption cross section for interacting with the low Z elements found in prebiotic molecules. Much of the research in this area was summarized in a 2011 review [18]. Although low energy electrons (<~15 eV) are very effective at inducing reactions in condensed molecular systems [19,20], the possible role of low energy SPEs at inducing chiral specific chemistry has been little discussed.…”

Field-Control, Phase-Transitions, and Life’s Emergence

“…As to the source of engendered building blocks – again in agreement with the two-level scaffold paradigm – note that field-controlled aggregates also have the potential to host the formation of chiral organic guests. Although using a different source, Rosenberg (2011) has demonstrated that substantial chiral-specific chemistry was induced by spin-polarized electrons which were provided by radiating the magnetic substrate, adsorbing the chiral organics, by an ionizing source. (The spin dependence of DOS near the Fermi energy in magnetic matter suggests how the colloids could act as spin filters).…”