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Chirality in life has been preserved throughout evolution. It has been assumed that the main function of chirality is its contribution to structural properties. In the past two decades, however, it has been established that chiral molecules possess unique electronic properties. Electrons that pass through chiral molecules, or even charge displacements within a chiral molecule, do so in a manner that depends on the electron’s spin and the molecule’s enantiomeric form. This effect, referred to as chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS), has several important implications for the properties of biosystems. Among these implications, CISS facilitates long-range electron transfer, enhances bio-affinities and enantioselectivity, and enables efficient and selective multi-electron redox processes. In this article, we review the CISS effect and some of its manifestations in biological systems.We argue that chirality is preserved so persistently in biology not only because of its structural effect, but also because of its important function in spin polarizing electrons.
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A chemical perspective on the chiral induced spin selectivity effect
ABSTRACT This review discusses opportunities in chemistry that are enabled by the chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. First, the review begins with a brief overview of the seminal studies on CISS. Next, we discuss different chiral material systems whose properties can be tailored through chemical means, with a special emphasis on hybrid organic-inorganic layered materials that exhibit some of the largest spin filtering properties to date. Then, we discuss the promise of CISS for chemical reactions and enantioseparation before concluding.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2140249
- PAR ID:
- 10532919
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford University Press
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- National Science Review
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2095-5138
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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