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Mirror-image molecules separated using workhorse of chemistry

The ability to distinguish between left- and right-handed molecules using mass spectrometry could streamline a laborious part of drug discovery.
  1. Katharine Sanderson

    1. Katharine Sanderson is a reporter for Nature in London.

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Chemists have shown it is possible to use mass spectrometry — a technique commonly used to identify molecules by mass — to separate chiral molecules, those that exist as different forms with identical atoms but mirror-image structures that can’t be superimposed on each other.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00384-2

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 21 February 2024: An earlier version of this article stated that the drug thalidomide showed to tragic effect why it’s important to separate molecules’ mirror-image forms: one version is a sedative, the other causes congenital disabilities when taken during pregnancy. Although it is true that the different versions of thalidomide have different effects, they are also able to interconvert inside the body, so separating them does not make the drug safe.

References

  1. Zhou, X. et al. Science 383, 612–618 (2024).

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