CAREER: Receptor Mediated Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

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With this CAREER award the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program supports the work of Dr. Babek Borhan of the Department of Chemistry at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The purpose of the work is to develop a set of host molecules, containing linked tetraaryl porphyrin zinc complexes, which can coordinate to a guest chiral Lewis base (such as an amine) in such a way that the circular dichroism spectrum of the assembly indicates the chirality of the base. The Exciton Coupled Circular Dichroism (ECCD) involved gives a bisignate CD spectrum, which is positive or negative depending only on the absolute stereochemical orientation of the electric transition dipole moment of the interacting chromophores.Dr. Borhan hopes to develop a spectroscopic reporting system which can be used to rapidly determine whether chiral organic compounds (compounds whose mirror images are different, like left and right hands) are left or right handed. This capability could be quite important, especially in view of the importance of chiral compounds in pharmaceuticals and biology. In addition to the graduate students who will be involved in the research, Dr. Borhan will establish an American Chemical Society affiliated SEED program, which will bring high school students from financially disadvantaged families into the lab for summer research experiences.