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Surface chemistry

Single handedness in flatland

Planar molecules may break mirror symmetry when aligned on a surface, but both right- and left-handed forms will be created. Starting with a single-handed precursor, chiral adsorbates of planar hydrocarbons with a single handedness are formed in on-surface reactions.

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Figure 1: A representation of the principle of chiral heterogeneous catalysis.
Figure 2: On-surface reaction of a dibenzoheptahelicene enantiomer to give a chiral adsorbate with a single handedness.

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Correspondence to Karl-Heinz Ernst.

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Ernst, KH. Single handedness in flatland. Nature Chem 9, 195–196 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2728

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