1
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Bocková J, Garcia AD, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical properties of membrane glycerophospholipids and their chiral backbones. Chirality 2024; 36:e23654. [PMID: 38419414 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Glycerophospholipid membranes are one of the key cellular components. Still, their species-dependent composition and homochirality remain an elusive subject. In the context of the astrophysical circularly polarized light scenario likely involved in the generation of a chiral bias in meteoritic amino and sugar acids in space, and consequently in the origin of life's homochirality on Earth, this study reports the first measurements of circular dichroism and anisotropy spectra of a selection of glycerophospholipids, their chiral backbones and their analogs. The rather low asymmetry in the interaction of UV/VUV circularly polarized light with sn-glycerol-1/3-phosphate indicates that chiral photons would have been unlikely to directly induce symmetry breaking to membrane lipids. In contrast, the anisotropy spectra of d-3-phosphoglyceric acid and d-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate unveil up to 20 and 100 times higher maximum anisotropy factor values, respectively. This first experimental report, targeted on investigating the origins of phospholipid symmetry breaking, opens up new avenues of research to explore alternative mechanisms leading to membrane lipid homochirality, while providing important clues for the search for chiral biosignatures of extant and/or extinct life in space, in particular for the ExoMars 2028 mission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
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2
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Sato A, Shoji M, Watanabe N, Boero M, Shigeta Y, Umemura M. Origin of Homochirality in Amino Acids Induced by Lyman-α Irradiation in the Early Stage of the Milky Way. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1019-1026. [PMID: 37737584 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
The enantiomeric excess (ee) of l-form amino acids found in the Murchison meteorite poses some issues about the cosmic origin of their chirality. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra of amino acids in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) at around 6.8 eV (182 nm) indicate that the circularly polarized light can induce ee through photochemical reactions. Here, we resort to ab initio calculations to extract the CD spectra up to the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) region (∼11 eV), and we propose a novel equation to compute the ee applicable to a wider range of light frequency than what is available to date. This allows us to show that the strength of the induced ee (|ee|) in the 10 eV VUV region is comparable to the one in the 6.8 eV FUV region. This feature is common for some key amino acids (alanine, 2-aminobutyric acid, and valine). In space, intense Lyman-α (Lyα) light of 10.2 eV is emitted from star forming regions. This study provides a theoretical basis that Lyα emitter from an early starburst in the Milky Way plays a crucial role in initiating the ee of amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akimasa Sato
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Shoji
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
- JST-PRESTO, Kawaguchi, Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Mauro Boero
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7504, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Masayuki Umemura
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
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3
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Bocková J, Jones NC, Topin J, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Uncovering the chiral bias of meteoritic isovaline through asymmetric photochemistry. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3381. [PMID: 37291172 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39177-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Systematic enrichments of L-amino acids in meteorites is a strong indication that biological homochirality originated beyond Earth. Although still unresolved, stellar UV circularly polarized light (CPL) is the leading hypothesis to have caused the symmetry breaking in space. This involves the differential absorption of left- and right-CPL, a phenomenon called circular dichroism, which enables chiral discrimination. Here we unveil coherent chiroptical spectra of thin films of isovaline enantiomers, the first step towards asymmetric photolysis experiments using a tunable laser set-up. As analogues to amino acids adsorbed on interstellar dust grains, CPL-helicity dependent enantiomeric excesses of up to 2% were generated in isotropic racemic films of isovaline. The low efficiency of chirality transfer from broadband CPL to isovaline could explain why its enantiomeric excess is not detected in the most pristine chondrites. Notwithstanding, small, yet consistent L-biases induced by stellar CPL would have been crucial for its amplification during aqueous alteration of meteorite parent bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice (ICN), CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, 06108, Nice, France.
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4
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Moore B, Mahoney K, Zeng MF, Djuricanin P, Momose T. Ultraviolet Photodissociation of Proteinogenic Amino Acids. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:11045-11055. [PMID: 37167534 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The ultraviolet photochemistry of the amino acids glycine, leucine, proline, and serine in their neutral forms was investigated using parahydrogen matrix-isolation spectroscopy. Irradiation by 213 nm light destroys the chirality of all three chiral amino acids as a result of the α-carbonyl C-C bond cleavage and hydrocarboxyl (HOCO) radical production. The temporal behavior of the Fourier-transform infrared spectra revealed that HOCO radicals rapidly reach a steady state, which occurs predominantly due to photodissociation of HOCO into CO + OH or CO2 + H. In glycine and leucine, the amine radicals generated by the α-carbonyl C-C bond cleavage rapidly undergo hydrogen elimination to yield methanimine and 3-methylbutane-1-imine, respectively. Breaking of the α-carbonyl C-C bond in proline appeared to yield 1-pyrroline, although due to its weak absorption it remains unconfirmed. In serine, additional products were formaldehyde and E/Z ethanimine. The present study shows that the direct production of HOCO previously observed in α-alanine generalizes to other amino acids of varying structure. It also revealed a tendency for amino acid photolysis to form imines rather than amine radicals. HOCO should be useful in the search for amino acids in interstellar space, particularly in combination with simple imine molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Moore
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Kyle Mahoney
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Mei Fei Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Pavle Djuricanin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Takamasa Momose
- Department of Chemistry, The University of British Columbia, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada
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5
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Shoji M, Kitazawa Y, Sato A, Watanabe N, Boero M, Shigeta Y, Umemura M. Enantiomeric Excesses of Aminonitrile Precursors Determine the Homochirality of Amino Acids. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:3243-3248. [PMID: 36975120 PMCID: PMC10084466 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c03862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
High enantiomeric excesses (ee's) of l-amino acids, including non-proteinogenic amino acid isovaline (Iva), were discovered in the Murchison meteorite, but the detailed molecular mechanism responsible for the observed ee of amino acids remains elusive and inconsistent, because Iva has an inverted circular dichroism (CD) spectrum with respect to α-H amino acids, e.g., alanine. To address this issue, we resort to accurate ab initio calculations for amino acids and their precursors in the Strecker synthesis. We evaluated their photolysis-induced ee in the range 5-11 eV including the Lyman alpha emission line (Lyα), the typical intensive 10.2 eV radiation ascribed to the early phase of galactic evolution. We show that only the aminonitrile precursors are characterized by positive ee in the Lyα region, explaining why right-handed circularly polarized Lyα (R-CP-Lyα) induces homologous l-amino acids. This study shows that the homochirality of amino acids is produced at the aminonitrile precursors stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuo Shoji
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- JST-PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Yuya Kitazawa
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Akimasa Sato
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Graduate
School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University
of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Mauro Boero
- University
of Strasbourg, Institut de Physique
et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, CNRS, UMR 7504, 23 rue du Loess, Strasbourg F-67034, France
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Masayuki Umemura
- Center
for Computational Sciences, University of
Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
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6
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Garcia AD, Topin J, Bocková J, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical activity of gas-phase propylene oxide predicting the handedness of interstellar circular polarization in the presolar nebula. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd4614. [PMID: 36399555 PMCID: PMC9674286 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add4614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Propylene oxide, the first chiral molecule recently detected in the interstellar medium, has once again raised the question whether biomolecular chirality might have cosmic origins. However, accurate chiroptical properties of propylene oxide in the ultraviolet spectral range necessary to suggest possible asymmetric synthetic routes in the gas phase are scarce. Here, we report on the first experimental measurements of the anisotropy spectra of gas-phase propylene oxide in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range. Our experimental results provide novel insights into the handedness of interstellar circular polarization at the dawn of molecular evolution of our star- and planet-forming region. Besides the fundamental importance of this new investigation for understanding the origin and evolution of homochirality on Earth, our high-resolution experimental electronic circular dichroism data will inspire new efforts in quantum computational spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D. Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d’Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, Nice 06108, France
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7
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Sallembien Q, Bouteiller L, Crassous J, Raynal M. Possible chemical and physical scenarios towards biological homochirality. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:3436-3476. [PMID: 35377372 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01179k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The single chirality of biological molecules in terrestrial biology raises more questions than certitudes about its origin. The emergence of biological homochirality (BH) and its connection with the appearance of life have elicited a large number of theories related to the generation, amplification and preservation of a chiral bias in molecules of life under prebiotically relevant conditions. However, a global scenario is still lacking. Here, the possibility of inducing a significant chiral bias "from scratch", i.e. in the absence of pre-existing enantiomerically-enriched chemical species, will be considered first. It includes phenomena that are inherent to the nature of matter itself, such as the infinitesimal energy difference between enantiomers as a result of violation of parity in certain fundamental interactions, and physicochemical processes related to interactions between chiral organic molecules and physical fields, polarized particles, polarized spins and chiral surfaces. The spontaneous emergence of chirality in the absence of detectable chiral physical and chemical sources has recently undergone significant advances thanks to the deracemization of conglomerates through Viedma ripening and asymmetric auto-catalysis with the Soai reaction. All these phenomena are commonly discussed as plausible sources of asymmetry under prebiotic conditions and are potentially accountable for the primeval chiral bias in molecules of life. Then, several scenarios will be discussed that are aimed to reflect the different debates about the emergence of BH: extra-terrestrial or terrestrial origin (where?), nature of the mechanisms leading to the propagation and enhancement of the primeval chiral bias (how?) and temporal sequence between chemical homochirality, BH and life emergence (when?). Intense and ongoing theories regarding the emergence of optically pure molecules at different moments of the evolution process towards life, i.e. at the levels of building blocks of Life, of the instructed or functional polymers, or even later at the stage of more elaborated chemical systems, will be critically discussed. The underlying principles and the experimental evidence will be commented for each scenario with particular attention on those leading to the induction and enhancement of enantiomeric excesses in proteinogenic amino acids, natural sugars, and their intermediates or derivatives. The aim of this review is to propose an updated and timely synopsis in order to stimulate new efforts in this interdisciplinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Sallembien
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Laurent Bouteiller
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Jeanne Crassous
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, ISCR-UMR 6226, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - Matthieu Raynal
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut Parisien de Chimie Moléculaire, Equipe Chimie des Polymères, 4 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France.
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8
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Meinert C, Garcia AD, Topin J, Jones NC, Diekmann M, Berger R, Nahon L, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Amino acid gas phase circular dichroism and implications for the origin of biomolecular asymmetry. Nat Commun 2022; 13:502. [PMID: 35082305 PMCID: PMC8792022 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Life on Earth employs chiral amino acids in stereochemical L-form, but the cause of molecular symmetry breaking remains unknown. Chiroptical properties of amino acids - expressed in circular dichroism (CD) - have been previously investigated in solid and solution phase. However, both environments distort the intrinsic charge distribution associated with CD transitions. Here we report on CD and anisotropy spectra of amino acids recorded in the gas phase, where any asymmetry is solely determined by the genuine electromagnetic transition moments. Using a pressure- and temperature-controlled gas cell coupled to a synchrotron radiation CD spectropolarimeter, we found CD active transitions and anisotropies in the 130-280 nm range, which are rationalized by ab initio calculation. As gas phase glycine was found in a cometary coma, our data may provide insights into gas phase asymmetric photochemical reactions in the life cycle of interstellar gas and dust, at the origin of the enantiomeric selection of life's L-amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France.
| | - Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Jérémie Topin
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mira Diekmann
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Robert Berger
- Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Laurent Nahon
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, 91192, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, UMR 7272 CNRS, 06108, Nice, France.
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9
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Kim M, Pierce K, Krecker M, Bukharina D, Adstedt K, Nepal D, Bunning T, Tsukruk VV. Monolithic Chiral Nematic Organization of Cellulose Nanocrystals under Capillary Confinement. ACS NANO 2021; 15:19418-19429. [PMID: 34874720 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c05988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate bioenabled crack-free chiral nematic films prepared via a unidirectional flow of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in the capillary confinement. To facilitate the uniform long-range nanocrystal organization during drying, we utilized tunicate-inspired hydrogen-bonding-rich 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenethylamine hydrochloride (TOPA) for physical cross-linking of nanocrystals with enhanced hydrogen bonding and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a relaxer of internal stresses in the vicinity of the capillary surface. The CNC/TOPA/PEG film is organized as a left-handed chiral structure parallel to flat walls, and the inner volume of the films displayed transitional herringbone organization across the interfacial region. The resulting thin films also exhibit high mechanical performance compared to brittle films with multiple cracks commonly observed for capillary-formed pure CNC films. The chiral nematic ordering of modified TOPA-PEG-CNC material propagates through the entire thickness of robust monolithic films and across centimeter-sized surface areas, facilitating consistent, vivid iridescence, and enhanced circular polarization. The best performance that prevents the cracks was achieved for a CNC/TOPA/PEG film with a minimal, 3% amount of TOPA. Overall, we suggest that intercalation of small highly adhesive molecules to cellulose nanocrystal-polymer matrices can facilitate uniform flow of liquid crystal phase and drying inside the capillary, resulting in improvement of the ultimate tensile strength and toughness (77% and 100% increase, respectively) with controlled uniform optical reflection and enhanced circular polarization unachievable during regular drying conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minkyu Kim
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Kellina Pierce
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Michelle Krecker
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Daria Bukharina
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Katarina Adstedt
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Dhriti Nepal
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Timothy Bunning
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Vladimir V Tsukruk
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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10
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Bocková J, Jones NC, Leyva V, Gaysinski M, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Concentration and pH effect on the electronic circular dichroism and anisotropy spectra of aqueous solutions of glyceric acid calcium salt. Chirality 2021; 34:245-252. [PMID: 34939233 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and anisotropy spectra carry information on differential absorption of left- and right-circularly polarized light (LCPL and RCPL) by optically active compounds. This makes them powerful tools for the rapid determination of enantiomeric excesses (ee) in asymmetric synthetic and pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as for predicting the ee inducible by ultraviolet (UV) CPL. The ECD response of a chiral molecule is, however, critically dependent on the properties of the surrounding medium. Here, we report on the first ECD/anisotropy spectra of aqueous solutions of the calcium salt dihydrate of glyceric acid. A systematic study of the effect of the salt concentration and pH on the chiroptical response revealed significant changes and the appearance of a new ECD band of opposite sign. Based on the literature, this can be rationalized by the increase in the relative proportion of free glyceric acid/glycerate to Ca2+ complexes with glycerate with decreasing salt concentration or pH. Glyceric acid can be readily produced under astrophysical conditions. The anisotropy spectra of the solution containing prevalently the free form of this dihydroxy carboxylic acid resemble the ones of previously investigated aliphatic chain hydroxycarboxylic acids and proteinogenic amino acids. This indicates possible common handedness of stellar CPL-induced asymmetry in the potential comonomers of primitive proto-peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Vanessa Leyva
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Marc Gaysinski
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, CNRS UMR 7272, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
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11
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Bocková J, Jones NC, Meierhenrich UJ, Hoffmann SV, Meinert C. Chiroptical activity of hydroxycarboxylic acids with implications for the origin of biological homochirality. Commun Chem 2021; 4:86. [PMID: 36697718 PMCID: PMC9814692 DOI: 10.1038/s42004-021-00524-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Circularly polarised light (CPL) interacting with interstellar organic molecules might have imparted chiral bias and hence preluded prebiotic evolution of biomolecular homochirality. The L-enrichment of extra-terrestrial amino acids in meteorites, as opposed to no detectable excess in monocarboxylic acids and amines, has previously been attributed to their intrinsic interaction with stellar CPL revealed by substantial differences in their chiroptical signals. Recent analyses of meteoritic hydroxycarboxylic acids (HCAs) - potential co-building blocks of ancestral proto-peptides - indicated a chiral bias toward the L-enantiomer of lactic acid. Here we report on novel anisotropy spectra of several HCAs using a synchrotron radiation electronic circular dichroism spectrophotometer to support the re-evaluation of chiral biomarkers of extra-terrestrial origin in the context of absolute photochirogenesis. We found that irradiation by CPL which would yield L-excess in amino acids would also yield L-excess in aliphatic chain HCAs, including lactic acid and mandelic acid, in the examined conditions. Only tartaric acid would show "unnatural" D-enrichment, which makes it a suitable target compound for further assessing the relevance of the CPL scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Bocková
- grid.460782.f0000 0004 4910 6551University Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Uwe J. Meierhenrich
- grid.460782.f0000 0004 4910 6551University Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- grid.460782.f0000 0004 4910 6551University Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Institute de Chimie de Nice, UMR 7272, Nice, France
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12
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Buhse T, Cruz JM, Noble-Terán ME, Hochberg D, Ribó JM, Crusats J, Micheau JC. Spontaneous Deracemizations. Chem Rev 2021; 121:2147-2229. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Buhse
- Centro de Investigaciones Químicas−IICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
| | - José-Manuel Cruz
- Facultad de Ciencias en Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas 29050, Mexico
| | - María E. Noble-Terán
- Centro de Investigaciones Químicas−IICBA, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Avenida Universidad 1001, 62209 Cuernavaca, Morelos Mexico
| | - David Hochberg
- Department of Molecular Evolution, Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), Carretera Ajalvir, Km. 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid Spain
| | - Josep M. Ribó
- Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (IEEC-ICC) and Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalunya Spain
| | - Joaquim Crusats
- Institut de Ciències del Cosmos (IEEC-ICC) and Departament de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Catalunya Spain
| | - Jean-Claude Micheau
- Laboratoire des IMRCP, UMR au CNRS No. 5623, Université Paul Sabatier, F-31062 Toulouse Cedex, France
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13
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Evans AC, Petit AS, Guillen SG, Neukirch AJ, Hoffmann SV, Jones NC. Chiroptical characterization tools for asymmetric small molecules - experimental and computational approaches for electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and anisotropy spectroscopy. RSC Adv 2021; 11:1635-1643. [PMID: 35424126 PMCID: PMC8693638 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra06832b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchrotron radiation electronic circular dichroism (SRECD) and anisotropy spectroscopy for both enantiomers of a group of small non-planar chiral molecules are reported here. The experimental SRECD spectra are compared to computational ECD spectra generated using time-dependent density functional theory and a thermal averaging over relevant molecular configurations. The combination of these experimental and computational characterization methodologies for such molecules enables the prediction and understanding of the spectral behavior of other small molecules, in addition to chiroptically characterizing members of the mandelic acid family substructure. Enantiomeric purity of samples can be evaluated in comparison with these spectra and the extent of photolytic enantioinduction can also be predicted using these experimental/calculated SRECD and anisotropy spectra. Experimental and computational electronic circular dichroism spectra are used in conjunction with anisotropy spectra to chiroptically characterize mandelic acid and its derivatives into the vacuum UV.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Evans
- Biosciences/Theoretical Divisions, Los Alamos National Laboratory P.O. Box 1663, Mailstop E529 Los Alamos NM 87544 USA
| | - Andrew S Petit
- Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University Fullerton 800 N. State College Blvd. Fullerton CA 92831 USA
| | - Steven G Guillen
- Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, California State University Fullerton 800 N. State College Blvd. Fullerton CA 92831 USA
| | - Amanda J Neukirch
- Biosciences/Theoretical Divisions, Los Alamos National Laboratory P.O. Box 1663, Mailstop E529 Los Alamos NM 87544 USA
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University Ny Munkegade 120 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University Ny Munkegade 120 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
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14
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Kjær C, Jones NC, Stockett MH, Hoffmann SV, Nielsen SB. Circular dichroism, anisotropy and absorption spectroscopy of chlorophyll b in methanol and mixed methanol-water solutions. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:26961-26966. [PMID: 33206737 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp03284k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The spectroscopic properties of chlorophyll (Chl) strongly depend on interactions with other Chl molecules, a fact that nature exploits in light harvesting by photosynthetic proteins. In solution, complex Chl aggregates are formed that depend not only on the solvent, but also on the detailed preparation procedure. Here we report synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectra of Chlb in methanol (MeOH) and MeOH/H2O mixtures; in the latter, water molecules assist in the formation of Chl aggregates as Chlb is too hydrophobic to dissolve in water. The magnitude of the most prominent CD signal increases up to 100-fold over time (2-15 hours) when the water content is increased from 0 to 50% in volume, the signal is non-conservative (almost exclusively negative), and sensitive to sample preparation. Three different types of signature CD spectra (Types A to C) are identified depending on preparation, and the change in CD signal over time and with temperature is further analyzed with anisotropy spectroscopy (ratio of simultaneously recorded CD to absorption) and principal component analysis (PCA). We show that CD is clearly superior to pure absorption spectroscopy in identifying structural changes, and anisotropy spectroscopy further increases the sensitivity towards smaller structural changes. PCA on temperature dependent CD data show that depending on preparation, and thus the type of aggregate as revealed by the CD signature, either one (Type A) or two chiral species (Type B) are identified in the spectra, further evidencing the complex nature of Chlb aggregates. Furthermore, the CD signal decreases linearly with volume when a sample of Chlb in MeOH/H2O (i.e., a sample of Chlb aggregates) is diluted, which implies that the aggregation process is irreversible: once aggregates are formed, they largely do not revert back to monomers. However, anisotropy spectroscopy reveals that there are small changes in the aggregates, not directly noticeable in CD and absorption. The work presented here demonstrates, compared to absorption spectroscopy, a clear advantage of CD and anisotropy spectroscopy in studying the complex evolution of Chl samples with time and temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Kjær
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark.
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15
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Su J, Suo B, Cassam-Chenaï P. Theoretical Study of the Anisotropy Spectra of the Valine Zwitterion and Glyceraldehyde. J Phys Chem A 2020; 124:6824-6833. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.0c03034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Su
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Theoretical Physics Frontiers, Institute of Modern Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710027, China
| | - Bingbing Suo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Theoretical Physics Frontiers, Institute of Modern Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710027, China
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16
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He C, Feng Z, Shan S, Wang M, Chen X, Zou G. Highly enantioselective photo-polymerization enhanced by chiral nanoparticles and in situ photopatterning of chirality. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1188. [PMID: 32132544 PMCID: PMC7055214 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15082-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chiral noble metal nanoparticles has recently gained great interest due to their potential applications including ultrasensitive chiral recognition and asymmetric synthesis. We anticipate that they could be utilized to induce asymmetric photo-polymerization reactions with high enantioselectivity and reactivity. Here, we report such a system. By employing silver nanoparticles modified with cysteine as the chiral inducer, polydiacetylene (PDA) with high chiral asymmetry was obtained from achiral diacetylene monomers triggered with unpolarized UV light. Furthermore, the helical sense of chirality can be controlled by varying the wavelength of UV irradiation. This enables a feasible and economical method to fabricate programmable 2D patterns of chiral PDA with tailored chirality distributions, such as smooth gradients in chirality and micropatterns with tailorable circularly polarized luminescence. Our finding not only opens a pathway for producing programmable chiroptical micropatterns, but also is highly valuable for deeper understanding of symmetry breaking in enantioselective photochemical reactions. Chiral nanoparticles are capable of ultrasensitive detection, characterization, and asymmetric synthesis of chiral organic and biological molecules. Here, the authors use silver nanoparticles modified with cysteine, as the sole chiral source, and unpolarized UV light, to form polydiacetylene with high chiral asymmetry from achiral diacetylene monomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenlu He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zeyu Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Sizhen Shan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mengqiao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Gang Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, 230026, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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17
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Madsen MM, Jensen F, Thøgersen J. The primary photo-dissociation dynamics of amino acids in aqueous solution: breaking the Cα-bond. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:2307-2318. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05836b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Photo-excitation of aqueous amino acids at 200 nm breaks the Cα-bond.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank Jensen
- Dept. of Chemistry
- Aarhus University
- DK-8000 Aarhus C
- Denmark
| | - Jan Thøgersen
- Dept. of Chemistry
- Aarhus University
- DK-8000 Aarhus C
- Denmark
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18
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Glavin DP, Burton AS, Elsila JE, Aponte JC, Dworkin JP. The Search for Chiral Asymmetry as a Potential Biosignature in our Solar System. Chem Rev 2019; 120:4660-4689. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P. Glavin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, United States
| | - Jamie E. Elsila
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - José C. Aponte
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
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19
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Abstract
The origin of biological homochirality, e.g., life selects the L-amino acids and D-sugar as molecular component, still remains a big mystery. It is suggested that mirror symmetry breaking plays an important role. Recent researches show that symmetry breaking can also occur at a supramolecular level, where the non-covalent bond was crucial. In these systems, equal or unequal amount of the enantiomeric nanoassemblies could be formed from achiral molecules. In this paper, we presented a brief overview regarding the symmetry breaking from dispersed system to gels, solids, and at interfaces. Then we discuss the rational manipulation of supramolecular chirality on how to induce and control the homochirality in the self-assembly system. Those physical control methods, such as Viedma ripening, hydrodynamic macro- and micro-vortex, superchiral light, and the combination of these technologies, are specifically discussed. It is hoped that the symmetry breaking at a supramolecular level could provide useful insights into the understanding of natural homochirality and further designing as well as controlling of functional chiral materials.
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20
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Garcia AD, Meinert C, Sugahara H, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. The Astrophysical Formation of Asymmetric Molecules and the Emergence of a Chiral Bias. Life (Basel) 2019; 9:E29. [PMID: 30884807 PMCID: PMC6463258 DOI: 10.3390/life9010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The biomolecular homochirality in living organisms has been investigated for decades, but its origin remains poorly understood. It has been shown that circular polarized light (CPL) and other energy sources are capable of inducing small enantiomeric excesses (ees) in some primary biomolecules, such as amino acids or sugars. Since the first findings of amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites, a scenario in which essential chiral biomolecules originate in space and are delivered by celestial bodies has arisen. Numerous studies have thus focused on their detection, identification, and enantiomeric excess calculations in extraterrestrial matrices. In this review we summarize the discoveries in amino acids, sugars, and organophosphorus compounds in meteorites, comets, and laboratory-simulated interstellar ices. Based on available analytical data, we also discuss their interactions with CPL in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions, their abiotic chiral or achiral synthesis, and their enantiomeric distribution. Without doubt, further laboratory investigations and upcoming space missions are required to shed more light on our potential extraterrestrial molecular origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien D Garcia
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
| | - Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency⁻Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210, Japan.
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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21
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Dissymmetry enhancement in enantioselective synthesis of helical polydiacetylene by application of superchiral light. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5117. [PMID: 30504770 PMCID: PMC6269450 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07533-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Superchiral light, generated by the interference of two counter-propagating circularly polarized light (CPL) with same frequency, opposite handedness and different intensity, exhibits enhanced dissymmetry in its interaction with chiral molecules, and has the potential for ultrasensitive detection and characterization of chiral molecules. It is anticipated that the enhanced optical dissymmetry in superchiral light (SCL) field may be utilized to promote asymmetric photochemical reactions efficiency. Herein we reported SCL impart greater chiral bias to trigger asymmetric photo-polymerization reaction from initially achiral diacetylene (DA) monomer, and the enhanced optical dissymmetry for whole polydiacetylene (PDA) films could be achieved. An explanation based on the chiral transfer and amplification of chiral bias from SCL during the polymerization process has been proposed. Moreover, thus formed chiral PDA films polymerized by SCL exhibited enhanced enantioselective recognition ability, and can serve as a direct visual probe for the discrimination of some specific enantiomers. Superchiral light can be utilized to promote asymmetric photochemical reactions. Here the authors show that superchiral light imparts greater chiral bias to trigger asymmetric photo-polymerization reactions from initially achiral diacetylene monomers and enhanced optical dissymmetry in polydiacetylene films.
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22
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Sites that Can Produce Left-handed Amino Acids in the Supernova Neutrino Amino Acid Processing Model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aaad5f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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23
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Famiano MA, Boyd RN, Kajino T, Onaka T. Selection of Amino Acid Chirality via Neutrino Interactions with 14N in Crossed Electric and Magnetic Fields. ASTROBIOLOGY 2018; 18:190-206. [PMID: 29160728 PMCID: PMC5820686 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Accepted: 09/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Previous work has suggested that the chirality of the amino acids could be established in the magnetic field of a nascent neutron star from a core-collapse supernova or massive collapsar. The magnetic field would orient the 14N nuclei, and the alignment of its nuclear spin with respect to those of the electron antineutrinos emitted from the collapsing star would determine the probability of destruction of the 14N nuclei by interactions with the antineutrinos. Subsequent work estimated the bulk polarization of the 14N nuclei in large rotating meteoroids in such an environment. The present work adds a crucial piece of this model by describing the details by which the selective 14N nuclear destruction would produce molecular chiral selectivity. The effects of the neutrino-induced interactions on the 14N nuclei bound in amino acids polarized in strong magnetic fields are studied. It is shown that electric fields in the reference frame of the nuclei modify the magnetic field at the nucleus, creating nuclear magnetizations that are asymmetric in chirality. The antineutrino cross sections depend on this magnetization, creating a selective destructive effect. The environmental conditions and sites in which such a selection mechanism could occur are discussed. Selective destruction of D-enantiomers results in enantiomeric excesses which may be sufficient to drive subsequent autocatalysis necessary to produce the few-percent enantiomeric excesses found in meteorites and subsequent homochirality. Molecular quantum chemical calculations were performed for alanine, and the chirality-dependent effects studied were included. A preference for left-handed molecules was found, and enantiomeric excesses as high as 0.02% were estimated for molecules in the electromagnetic conditions expected from a core-collapse supernova. Key Words: Amino acids-Supernovae-Antineutrinos-Enantiomeric excess-Chirality. Astrobiology 18, 190-206.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Famiano
- Department of Physics and Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Richard N. Boyd
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Physics, Department of Astronomy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Toshitaka Kajino
- National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Physics and Nuclear Energy Engineering, Beihang University (Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics), Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Takashi Onaka
- Department of Astronomy, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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24
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Sugahara H, Meinert C, Nahon L, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Hamase K, Takano Y, Meierhenrich UJ. d-Amino acids in molecular evolution in space - Absolute asymmetric photolysis and synthesis of amino acids by circularly polarized light. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2018; 1866:743-758. [PMID: 29357311 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms on the Earth almost exclusively use l-amino acids for the molecular architecture of proteins. The biological occurrence of d-amino acids is rare, although their functions in various organisms are being gradually understood. A possible explanation for the origin of biomolecular homochirality is the delivery of enantioenriched molecules via extraterrestrial bodies, such as asteroids and comets on early Earth. For the asymmetric formation of amino acids and their precursor molecules in interstellar environments, the interaction with circularly polarized photons is considered to have played a potential role in causing chiral asymmetry. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the investigation of chirality transfer from chiral photons to amino acids involving the two major processes of asymmetric photolysis and asymmetric synthesis. We will discuss analytical data on cometary and meteoritic amino acids and their potential impact delivery to the early Earth. The ongoing and future ambitious space missions, Hayabusa2, OSIRIS-REx, ExoMars 2020, and MMX, are scheduled to provide new insights into the chirality of extraterrestrial organic molecules and their potential relation to the terrestrial homochirality. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: d-Amino acids: biology in the mirror, edited by Dr. Loredano Pollegioni, Dr. Jean-Pierre Mothet and Dr. Molla Gianluca.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Sugahara
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France
| | - Laurent Nahon
- L'Orme des Merisiers, Synchrotron SOLEIL, BP 48 Saint Aubin, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Nykola C Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Søren V Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kenji Hamase
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Takano
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
| | - Uwe J Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7272, 06108 Nice, France.
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25
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Abstract
We introduce a general theoretical approach for the simulation of photochemical dynamics under the influence of circularly polarized light to explore the possibility of generating enantiomeric enrichment through polarized-light-selective photochemistry. The method is applied to the simulation of the photolysis of alanine, a prototype chiral amino acid. We show that a systematic enantiomeric enrichment can be obtained depending on the helicity of the circularly polarized light that induces the excited-state photochemistry of alanine. By analyzing the patterns of the photoinduced fragmentation of alanine we find an inducible enantiomeric enrichment up to 1.7%, which is also in good correspondence to the experimental findings. Our method is generally applicable to complex systems and might serve to systematically explore the photochemical origin of homochirality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Wohlgemuth
- Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Julius Maximilians University Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Roland Mitrić
- Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Julius Maximilians University Würzburg , Emil-Fischer-Str. 42, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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26
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Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Jones NC, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Light on Chirality: Absolute Asymmetric Formation of Chiral Molecules Relevant in Prebiotic Evolution. Chempluschem 2016; 82:74-87. [DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201600214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Myrgorodska
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
- Synchrotron SOLEIL; L'Orme des Merisiers; BP 48 Saint Aubin 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; 8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; 8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Laurent Nahon
- Synchrotron SOLEIL; L'Orme des Merisiers; BP 48 Saint Aubin 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette France
| | - Uwe J. Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272; Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences; Parc Valrose 06108 Nice France
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27
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Elsila JE, Aponte JC, Blackmond DG, Burton AS, Dworkin JP, Glavin DP. Meteoritic Amino Acids: Diversity in Compositions Reflects Parent Body Histories. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2016; 2:370-9. [PMID: 27413780 PMCID: PMC4919777 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.6b00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The analysis of amino acids in meteorites dates back over 50 years; however, it is only in recent years that research has expanded beyond investigations of a narrow set of meteorite groups (exemplified by the Murchison meteorite) into meteorites of other types and classes. These new studies have shown a wide diversity in the abundance and distribution of amino acids across carbonaceous chondrite groups, highlighting the role of parent body processes and composition in the creation, preservation, or alteration of amino acids. Although most chiral amino acids are racemic in meteorites, the enantiomeric distribution of some amino acids, particularly of the nonprotein amino acid isovaline, has also been shown to vary both within certain meteorites and across carbonaceous meteorite groups. Large l-enantiomeric excesses of some extraterrestrial protein amino acids (up to ∼60%) have also been observed in rare cases and point to nonbiological enantiomeric enrichment processes prior to the emergence of life. In this Outlook, we review these recent meteoritic analyses, focusing on variations in abundance, structural distributions, and enantiomeric distributions of amino acids and discussing possible explanations for these observations and the potential for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie E. Elsila
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- E-mail:
| | - José C. Aponte
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, Catholic University, Washington, D.C. 20064, United States
| | - Donna G. Blackmond
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research
Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Aaron S. Burton
- Astromaterials Research and Exploration
Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, United States
| | - Jason P. Dworkin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
| | - Daniel P. Glavin
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, United States
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28
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Vogel S, Rackwitz J, Schürman R, Prinz J, Milosavljević AR, Réfrégiers M, Giuliani A, Bald I. Using DNA origami nanostructures to determine absolute cross sections for UV photon-induced DNA strand breakage. J Phys Chem Lett 2015; 6:4589-93. [PMID: 26536162 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.5b02238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We have characterized ultraviolet (UV) photon-induced DNA strand break processes by determination of absolute cross sections for photoabsorption and for sequence-specific DNA single strand breakage induced by photons in an energy range from 6.50 to 8.94 eV. These represent the lowest-energy photons able to induce DNA strand breaks. Oligonucleotide targets are immobilized on a UV transparent substrate in controlled quantities through attachment to DNA origami templates. Photon-induced dissociation of single DNA strands is visualized and quantified using atomic force microscopy. The obtained quantum yields for strand breakage vary between 0.06 and 0.5, indicating highly efficient DNA strand breakage by UV photons, which is clearly dependent on the photon energy. Above the ionization threshold strand breakage becomes clearly the dominant form of DNA radiation damage, which is then also dependent on the nucleotide sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Vogel
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jenny Rackwitz
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Robin Schürman
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
- BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing , Richard-Willstätter Str. 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Prinz
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | | | | | - Alexandre Giuliani
- Synchrotron SOLEIL , 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- UAR 1008 CEPIA, INRA, 44316 Nantes, France
| | - Ilko Bald
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam , Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
- BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing , Richard-Willstätter Str. 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany
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Meinert C, Cassam-Chenaï P, Jones NC, Nahon L, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropy-Guided Enantiomeric Enhancement in Alanine Using Far-UV Circularly Polarized Light. ORIGINS LIFE EVOL B 2015; 45:149-61. [PMID: 25773582 DOI: 10.1007/s11084-015-9413-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
All life on Earth is characterized by its asymmetry - both the genetic material and proteins are composed of homochiral monomers. Understanding how this molecular asymmetry initially arose is a key question related to the origins of life. Cometary ice simulations, L-enantiomeric enriched amino acids in meteorites and the detection of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation in star-forming regions point to a possible interstellar/protostellar generation of stereochemical asymmetry. Based upon our recently recorded anisotropy spectra g(λ) of amino acids in the vacuum-UV range, we subjected amorphous films of racemic (13)C-alanine to far-UV circularly polarized synchrotron radiation to probe the asymmetric photon-molecule interaction under interstellar conditions. Optical purities of up to 4% were reached, which correlate with our theoretical predictions. Importantly, we show that chiral symmetry breaking using circularly polarized light is dependent on both the helicity and the wavelength of incident light. In order to predict such stereocontrol, time-dependent density functional theory was used to calculate anisotropy spectra. The calculated anisotropy spectra show good agreement with the experimental ones. The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission, which successfully landed Philae on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 12 November 2014, will investigate the configuration of chiral compounds and thereby obtain data that are to be interpreted in the context of the results presented here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, CNRS UMR 7272, Université de Nice Sophia Antipolis, 06108, Nice, France,
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Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Martins Z, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Meierhenrich UJ. Molekülchiralität in Meteoriten und interstellarem Eis und das Chiralitätsexperiment an Bord der Kometenmission Rosetta der ESA. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201409354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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31
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Myrgorodska I, Meinert C, Martins Z, Le Sergeant d'Hendecourt L, Meierhenrich UJ. Molecular chirality in meteorites and interstellar ices, and the chirality experiment on board the ESA cometary Rosetta mission. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2014; 54:1402-12. [PMID: 25431250 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201409354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Life, as it is known to us, uses exclusively L-amino acid and D-sugar enantiomers for the molecular architecture of proteins and nucleic acids. This Minireview explores current models of the original symmetry-breaking influence that led to the exogenic delivery to Earth of prebiotic molecules with a slight enantiomeric excess. We provide a short overview of enantiomeric enhancements detected in bodies of extraterrestrial origin, such as meteorites, and interstellar ices simulated in the laboratory. Data are interpreted from different points of view, namely, photochirogenesis, parity violation in the weak nuclear interaction, and enantioenrichment through phase transitions. Photochemically induced enantiomeric imbalances are discussed more specifically in the topical context of the "chirality module" on board the cometary Rosetta spacecraft of the ESA. This device will perform the first enantioselective in situ analyses of samples taken from a cometary nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iuliia Myrgorodska
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN, UMR CNRS 7272, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Faculté des Sciences, Parc Valrose, 06108, Nice (France) http://www.unice.fr/meierhenrich/
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32
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Xu Y, Yang G, Xia H, Zou G, Zhang Q, Gao J. Enantioselective synthesis of helical polydiacetylene by application of linearly polarized light and magnetic field. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5050. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Bredehöft JH, Jones NC, Meinert C, Evans AC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Understanding Photochirogenesis: Solvent Effects on Circular Dichroism and Anisotropy Spectroscopy. Chirality 2014; 26:373-8. [DOI: 10.1002/chir.22329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nykola C. Jones
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - Cornelia Meinert
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
| | - Amanda C. Evans
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
- University of Cambridge; Murray Edwards College; Cambridge United Kingdom
| | - Søren V. Hoffmann
- ISA, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - Uwe J. Meierhenrich
- Institut de Chimie de Nice ICN; Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis; Nice France
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Tia M, Cunha de Miranda B, Daly S, Gaie-Levrel F, Garcia GA, Nahon L, Powis I. VUV photodynamics and chiral asymmetry in the photoionization of gas phase alanine enantiomers. J Phys Chem A 2014; 118:2765-79. [PMID: 24654892 DOI: 10.1021/jp5016142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The valence shell photoionization of the simplest proteinaceous chiral amino acid, alanine, is investigated over the vacuum ultraviolet region from its ionization threshold up to 18 eV. Tunable and variable polarization synchrotron radiation was coupled to a double imaging photoelectron/photoion coincidence (i(2)PEPICO) spectrometer to produce mass-selected threshold photoelectron spectra and derive the state-selected fragmentation channels. The photoelectron circular dichroism (PECD), an orbital-sensitive, conformer-dependent chiroptical effect, was also recorded at various photon energies and compared to continuum multiple scattering calculations. Two complementary vaporization methods-aerosol thermodesorption and a resistively heated sample oven coupled to an adiabatic expansion-were applied to promote pure enantiomers of alanine into the gas phase, yielding neutral alanine with different internal energy distributions. A comparison of the photoelectron spectroscopy, fragmentation, and dichroism measured for each of the vaporization methods was rationalized in terms of internal energy and conformer populations and supported by theoretical calculations. The analytical potential of the so-called PECD-PICO detection technique-where the electron spectroscopy and circular dichroism can be obtained as a function of mass and ion translational energy-is underlined and applied to characterize the origin of the various species found in the experimental mass spectra. Finally, the PECD findings are discussed within an astrochemical context, and possible implications regarding the origin of biomolecular asymmetry are identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice Tia
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, l'Orme des Merisiers, Saint Aubin BP 48, 91192 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France
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35
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Wyer JA, Kristensen MB, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Nielsen SB. Kinetics of DNA duplex formation: A-tracts versus AT-tracts. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2014; 16:18827-39. [DOI: 10.1039/c4cp02252a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
A-tracts (AAAA…:TTTT…) form much faster than AT-tracks (ATAT…:TATA…).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Ann Wyer
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Aarhus University
- DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | | | - Nykola C. Jones
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Aarhus University
- DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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36
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Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Cassam-Chenaï P, Evans AC, Giri C, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Photonenergy-Controlled Symmetry Breaking with Circularly Polarized Light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201307855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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37
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Meinert C, Hoffmann SV, Cassam-Chenaï P, Evans AC, Giri C, Nahon L, Meierhenrich UJ. Photonenergy-Controlled Symmetry Breaking with Circularly Polarized Light. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2013; 53:210-4. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201307855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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38
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Nishino H, Hosaka M, Katoh M, Inoue Y. Photoreaction of rac-leucine in ice by circularly polarized synchrotron radiation: temperature-induced mechanism switching from Norrish Type II to deamination. Chemistry 2013; 19:13929-36. [PMID: 24038443 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201301831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2013] [Revised: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The delivery of extraterrestrial organics to primitive Earth is considered to have triggered the origin and subsequent evolution of life. Indeed, enantiomerically enriched amino acids of nonterrestrial origin have been found in carbonaceous meteorites, and enantioselective photodecomposition by circularly polarized light (CPL) in outer space has been proposed to have played some role in the initial enantiomeric bias. To experimentally examine this possibility and elucidate the photoreaction mechanisms, we have studied the photolysis of racemic leucine (rac-Leu) in acidic and neutral ice/water media at 21-298 K with left- and right-CPL in an attempt to detect enantiomerically enriched D- and L-Leu, respectively. Comprehensive product analyses revealed that the CPL-induced deracemization of Leu proceeds in both acidic and neutral ice matrices even at 21 K, and that the main mechanism switches from Norrish-type II γ-hydrogen abstraction to SN i deamination on lowering the temperature. The potential role of the CPL-induced photodecomposition of amino acids as a source of the enantiomer imbalance in meteorites is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Nishino
- Entropy Control Project (Japan) Science and Technology Agency; Osaka Municipal Technical Research Institute, 1-6-50 Morinomiya, Joto-ku, Osaka 536-8553 (Japan)
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39
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Evans AC, Meinert C, Bredehöft JH, Giri C, Jones NC, Hoffmann SV, Meierhenrich UJ. Anisotropy Spectra for Enantiomeric Differentiation of Biomolecular Building Blocks. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2013; 341:271-99. [DOI: 10.1007/128_2013_442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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40
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Réfrégiers M, Wien F, Ta HP, Premvardhan L, Bac S, Jamme F, Rouam V, Lagarde B, Polack F, Giorgetta JL, Ricaud JP, Bordessoule M, Giuliani A. DISCO synchrotron-radiation circular-dichroism endstation at SOLEIL. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2012; 19:831-835. [PMID: 22898965 DOI: 10.1107/s0909049512030002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 07/01/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The new synchrotron-radiation circular-dichroism (SRCD) endstation on the UV-visible synchrotron beamline DISCO has been commissioned at the SOLEIL synchrotron. The design has been focused on preservation of a high degree of linear polarization at high flux and moderate resolving power covering the vacuum ultraviolet to visible spectral range (125-600 nm). The beam dimensions have been set to 4 mm × 4 mm at 1 nm bandwidth for lower sample degradation. The nitrogen-purged sample chamber fits three types of sample holders accommodating conventional round cell mounting, automated rotation of the samples, as well as a microfluidic set-up. Automated temperature-controlled data collection on microvolumes is now available to the biology and chemistry communities. Macromolecules including membrane proteins, soluble proteins, bio-nanotubes, sugars, DNA and RNAs are now routinely investigated.
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