Key Exploration of intermolecular Bonding in chiral recognition using Advanced laser light Beams

forthcoming

Chiral recognition is the ability of a chiral molecule to discriminate between the two enantiomeric forms of another chiral molecule. An important question is how do intermolecular interactions contribute to high enantioselectivity in several natural and synthetic processes that are key in biochemistry, asymmetric drug and polymer synthesis and analytical chemistry, for example. This enantioselectivity results from thermodynamic and kinetic considerations, but little is known about the dynamic nature of intermolecular interactions at the molecular level. Capturing the time evolution of chiral recognition requires laser imaging techniques that can trace atomic and electronic motions at the few femtosecond (10-15 s) timescale, both of which are essential for understanding chemical bonding. However, there is a lack of laser-driven technologies capable of directly measuring intermolecular chiral dynamics with sufficient time resolution and sensitivity. The objective of KEBAB is the investigation of chiral recognition between chiral molecules in real-time, enabled by the development of next-generation ultrafast light sources to be combined with experimental methods that are highly sensitive to chirality. Pressing questions about the dynamic evolution of chiral recognition will be answered such as: i) what are the mechanisms which allow chiral molecules to dynamically recognize each other? ii) how does a molecule transfer chirality to an achiral molecule? and iii) can we use electronic currents as chiral-sensitive forces on the nuclei to influence the enantioselectivity of the interactions in chiral recognition? KEBAB will provide a deep understanding on the dynamics influencing chiral recognition and on how the joint electron and nuclear motion at ultrafast timescales can be exploited for photochemical control. The results of this project will provide important and fundamental information to the many fields of science that rely on molecular chirality.