Sep 24, 2026
Spin-directed Chiral Symmetry Breaking
Date: September 24, 2026 |
11:00 am –
12:00 pm
Speaker:
Prof. Yves Geerts, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Location: Seminar Room C | Moonstone
Language:
English
Louis Pasteur and Pierre Curie dreamed of directing chiral symmetry breaking using external magnetic and electric fields. [Chem. Rev. 1998, 98, 2391] Their attempts failed due to time-inversion symmetry, theoretically explained by Laurence Barron. [JACS 1986, 108, 5539] Dissipative non-equilibrium conditions break this symmetry and allow the separation of enantiomers under the influence of erroneous chirality, as recently demonstrated by Ron Naaman and Francesco Tassinari. [Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 5246. Cryst. Growth Des. [2021, 21, 2925] With my team, we have undertaken a research project to further our understanding by directing deracemization towards R or S enantiomers using chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS). [Acc. Chem. Res.] [2020, 53, 2659] I will report on our latest results and the prospects for realizing Pasteur and Curie's long-held dream.
