Formation of chiral centres monitored in real time

For the first time, researchers have measured the live formation of chiral bonds at the single-molecule level. The method could uncover ‘previously unknown reaction mechanisms of enantiospecific reactions, which is [currently] really hard and time consuming,’ explains materials chemist Sascha Feldmann from Harvard University, US, who wasn’t involved in the project.

The detection of chemical properties like chirality generally involves macroscopic measurements. ‘[This] brings ensemble-averaged results,’ says Xuefeng Guo, from Peking University, China. Now, Guo’s team has developed a way to monitor the formation of individual chiral centres in real time.