Prochiral Molecules Interacting with Chiral Surfaces

Prochiral Molecules Interacting with Chiral Surfaces 

Chirality at surfaces can be manifested in a number of forms including the intrinsic chirality of the surface structure and even the induction of chirality via the adsorption of achiral molecules onto achiral surfaces. The ability of STM to probe surfaces on a local scale with atomic/molecular resolution has revolutionized the understanding of these phenomena. Surfaces that are globally chiral either due to their intrinsic structure or due to the adsorption of chiral molecules have been shown by STM to establish control over the adsorption behavior of prochiral species. This could have profound consequences for the understanding of the origin of homochirality in life on Earth and in the development of new generations of heterogeneous chiral catalysts that may, finally, make a substantial impact on the pharmaceutical industry. 

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Prochiral Molecules Interacting with Chiral Surfaces... 

It is interesting to note that the interaction of a prochiral reactant with a chiral step-kink site and with an adsorbed chiral modifier each fiilfills the three-point contact model required for chiral recognition [102-104]. At a step-kink site, the reactant adsorbed in the pro-(l ) geometry contacts the surface plane, the step, and the kink in a way that is not equivalent to the pro-(S) adsorbate. Similarly, in the modifier-reactant interaction between methyiacetoacetate and pyroglutamate, it is proposed that the reactant has three key points of contact comprising the metal-molecule interaction and two intermolecular H-bonds with the modifier [101]. 

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