Telling if a molecule is right-handed or left-handed is a venerable problem, but traditional approaches cannot touch the subtlest cases. As so often, technical innovation has provided the way forward.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Haesler, J., Schindelholz, I., Riguet, E., Bochet, C. G. & Hug, W. Nature 446, 526–529 (2007).
Lord Kelvin Baltimore Lectures (Clay, London, 1904).
Eliel, E. L. & Wilen, S. H. Stereochemistry of Organic Compounds (Wiley, New York, 1994).
Barron, L. D. Molecular Light Scattering and Optical Activity 2nd edn (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004).
Bijvoet, J. M. et al. Nature 168, 271–272 (1951).
Barron, L. D., Bogaard, M. P. & Buckingham, A. D. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 95, 603–605 (1973).
Holzwarth, G. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 96, 251–252 (1974).
Hug, W. & Haesler, J. Int. J. Quantum Chem. 104, 695–715 (2005).
Stephens, P. J. & Devlin, F. J. Chirality 12, 172–179 (2000).
Barron, L. D. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 16, 638–643 (2006).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Barron, L. Compliments from Lord Kelvin. Nature 446, 505–506 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/446505a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/446505a