A search for circular dichroism in the VUV photofragmentation mass spectra of 2-amino-1-butanol.
The dissociative photoionization of a single-enantiomer chiral molecule by circularly polarized synchrotron radiation was investigated, for the first time, in the gas phase. Photoion mass spectra were produced by the interaction of (+)-(S)-, (-)-(R)- and rac-2-amino-l-butanol with circularly polarized light. Comparison of these spectra places an upper bound of approximately 2% on circular dichroism in the dissociative photoionization of 2-amino-l-butanol at 21 eV, which may have consequences for the theory that the origin of biological homochirality was predominantly enantioselective photofragmentation by circularly polarized light. We have also identified and elucidated many of the difficulties of performing gas phase CD measurements in crossed beam experiments.
Department of Pure and Applied Physics, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, N. Ireland. r.mackie@qub.ac.uk
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Mackie
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Browning
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Latimer
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Scully
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Dunn