title: Chiral discrimination in stearoyl amine glycerol monolayers.
abstract: Chiral discrimination in Langmuir monolayers of amphiphilic 1-stearylamine-glycerol is studied using the hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method. Using the experimental information about the lattice structure [D. Vollhardt, U. Gehlert, J. Phys. Chem. B. 2002, 106, 4419], the intermolecular interaction profiles for enantiomeric and racemic pair are studied as a function of mutual tilt and azimuth for different values of intermolecular separation. The present study reveals that, at shorter separation, the interaction profile of the racemic pair has deeper minima than the enantiomeric pair, whereas at larger separation the minimum of the enantiomeric pair is deeper. Thus, the theoretical studies reveal an interesting crossover from heterochiral preference to homochiral preference in 1-stearylamine-glycerol monolayers, with the increase in the intermolecular separation corresponding to a larger area per molecule in the monolayer. This predicts that, with gradual compression, the interactions between racemic pair dominate the experimental features, whereas, under nonequilibrium conditions at the beginning of the formation of the condensed phase, the experimental characteristics of homochirality are observable. The study conclusively shows that the chiral structure of the molecule and the lattice packing drive the chiral preference at the mesoscopic level.
authors.affiliation: Chemistry Department, Kalyani University, Kalyani, West Bengal 741235, India.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nandi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thirumoorthy
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vollhardt
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000737:chemistry*; D002621:Chemistry / Q000379:methods; D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; C009317:stearylamine; D005990:Glycerol