Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Chemistry

Mirrors in Flatland

Nature volume 425, pages 463–464 (2003)Cite this article

Many molecules exist in two mirror-image forms, which have different biological properties. A new way of creating solid chiral surfaces might make it easier to synthesize and purify only one of the mirror forms.

Chirality is widespread in nature and is fundamental to life. It arises from straightforward geometry — any object that lacks inverse symmetry can exist in two distinguishable mirror images, called enantiomers. For example, our hands are chiral: the right hand is an enantiomer of the left hand, and neither can be superimposed on the other by translation or rotation. At a molecular level, right-handed and left-handed compounds often have very different effects, so it is crucial for industry to produce pure enantiomeric forms. On page 490 of this issue, Switzer et al.1 describe a way of creating a catalytically active chiral solid that could make the production of pure mirror images much easier.

Your institute does not have access to this article

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

Figure 1: Bestowing chirality.

References

  1. Switzer, J. A., Kothari, H. M., Poizot, P., Nakanishi, S. & Bohannan, E. W. Nature 425, 490–493 (2003).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Pasteur, L. Ann. Phys. 24, 442 (1848).

    Google Scholar 

  3. LeBel, J. A. Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr. 22, 337 (1874).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Van't Hoff, J. H. Arch. Neerl. Sci. Exactes Nat. 9, 445 (1874).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Sheldon, R. A. Chirotechnology (Dekker, New York, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ortega Lorenzo, M., Baddeley, C. J., Muryn, C. & Raval, R. Nature 404, 376–379 (2000).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Kühnle, A., Linderoth, T. R., Hammer, B. & Besenbacher, F. Nature 415, 891–893 (2002).

    ADS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Zhao, X. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 122, 12584–12585 (2000).

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Addadi, L., Berkovitch-Yellin, Z., Weissbuch, I., Lahav, M. & Leiserowitz, L. Topics Stereochem. 16, 1–85 (1986).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Orme, C. A. et al. Nature 411, 775–779 (2001).

    ADS  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Surface Science Research Centre and the Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3BX, UK

    Rasmita Raval

Authors
  1. Rasmita Raval
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Raval, R. Mirrors in Flatland. Nature 425, 463–464 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/425463a

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/425463a

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing