Molecular Structure and Chirality Detection by Fourier Transform Microwave Spectroscopy.
We describe a three-wave mixing experiment using time-separated microwave pulses to detect the enantiomer-specific emission signal of the chiral molecule using Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) spectroscopy. A chirped-pulse FTMW spectrometer operating in the 2-8 GHz frequency range is used to determine the heavy-atom substitution structure of solketal (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl-methanol) through analysis of the singly substituted (13)C and (18)O isotopologue rotational spectra in natural abundance. A second set of microwave horn antennas is added to the instrument design to permit three-wave mixing experiments where an enantiomer-specific phase of the signal is observed. Using samples of R-, S-, and racemic solketal, the properties of the three-wave mixing experiment are presented, including the measurement of the corresponding nutation curves to demonstrate the optimal pulse sequence.
†Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Simon
S
Lobsiger
†Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Cristobal
C
Perez
†Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.|‡Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician", University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
Luca
L
Evangelisti
†Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Kevin K
KK
Lehmann
†Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Brooks H
BH
Pate
chirality; enantiomers; three-wave mixing. microwave spectroscopy