Ciss effect observed in an isolated molecule for the first time

For the first time, researchers have observed a mysterious phenomenon known as the chirality-induced spin selectivity (Ciss) effect in isolated molecules – unattached to substrates or solid electrodes. ‘[This] experiment verifies that the [Ciss] effect results only from the system’s chirality,’ says Ron Naaman from the Weizmann Institute in Israel, who discovered the Ciss effect in the late nineties. Naaman, who was not involved in the new work, says that the findings ‘reveal the mechanism of the Ciss effect’ and could have direct applications in quantum computing, energy generation and efficient lighting.