Many chemical reactions produce two enantiomers — molecules that are mirror images of each other — but often only one is desired. Researchers have developed a catalyst that changes its configuration when exposed to light and that can generate one enantiomer or the other, depending on the position of the catalyst's rotating parts.
The catalyst is based on a molecular 'motor' comprising two parts rotating around a fixed axle. The motor moves through a four-step cycle in which each change in position is triggered by light. At each position, the relative orientation of the two moving parts controls the spatial position of the reactant in a chemical reaction, producing either one or the other enantiomer, or a mix of the two.
Using just one molecule of the catalyst, Jiaobing Wang and Ben Feringa at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands produced both enantiomers in a sequential manner.
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One catalyst, two products. Nature 470, 438–439 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/470438e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/470438e
