title: Microfluidic sorting of stereoisomers.
abstract: Isomeric molecules that only differ in the spatial orientation of their constituents are called stereoisomers. We demonstrate that different stereoisomers are transported typically at different velocities in a fluid streaming through a straight microchannel. As the underlying mechanism, we identify a translation-rotation coupling in the motion of the molecules which is specific for the molecule structure. This effect can be exploited for the separation of stereoisomers, a task of immense importance in biotechnology and pharmaceutics.
authors.affiliation: NORDITA, Roslagstullsbacken 23, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden. eichhorn@nordita.org
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eichhorn