SPECTRAL SIGNATURES OF CHIRALITY AND CHIRALITY RECOGNITION

手性的光谱特征和手性识别

• 批准号: 262983-2013
• 负责人: Xu, Yunjie
• 金额: $ 6.12万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=571309
• 关键词: SPECTRAL; SIGNATURES; CHIRALITY; RECOGNITION

A molecule is chiral, or said to exhibit "handedness", if its mirror image cannot be superimposed onto itself. Research into chirality and chirality recognition would be a pure scientific adventure if not for this important fact: many of the molecules produced by organisms exhibit a specific handedness. While one mirror image that fits the intended receptor in the organism is active, the other one may be inactive or may cause severe harm. There are, however, significant challenges in evaluating and finding solutions to these implications since the mirror images are so similar in many ways! My research program is dedicated to provide answers to two main aspects of these challenges through developments of 1) fast reliable methods for chirality determination and 2) rigorous chirality recognition models at the molecular level. Our original work on model chiral contact pairs and amino acid aggregates significantly furthers the goal of a rigorous description about chirality recognition at the molecular level. This proposal includes one major instrument development using the most advanced laser and mass spectrometry technologies. The innovative new tool will enable measurements of infrared signatures of chirality recognition in large bio-aggregates with specific mass/charge ratio both at room temperature and under ultra-cold condition, allowing unprecedented insights into the conformational conversion and recognition events. We have made important contributions in understanding how chiral molecules transfer chirality information to achiral molecules and in chirality determination of organic and inorganic compounds. We have successfully demonstrated the capability of a combined matrix isolation-vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) technique for following self-aggregation and chirality transfer events and for probing exotic chiral species that would otherwise be extremely difficult to study. To capitalize on our success, we will explore innovative new applications of two cutting-edge chiral detection techniques, i.e. a VCD and a Raman optical activity spectrometer (the first of its kind in Canada) to glycoproteins and chiral protected metal nanoparticles.

如果一个分子的镜像不能叠加到其自身上，则该分子是手性的，或者说表现出“手性”。如果没有这个重要的事实，对手性和手性识别的研究将是一个纯粹的科学冒险：生物体产生的许多分子都表现出特定的手性。当一个镜像适合生物体中的预期受体时，另一个镜像可能是无活性的或可能造成严重伤害。然而，由于镜像在许多方面是如此相似，因此在评估和找到这些影响的解决方案方面存在重大挑战！我的研究项目致力于通过开发1）快速可靠的手性测定方法和2）分子水平上严格的手性识别模型来解决这些挑战的两个主要方面。 我们在模型手性接触对和氨基酸聚集体上的原创性工作显著地推进了在分子水平上对手性识别进行严格描述的目标。该提案包括使用最先进的激光和质谱技术开发一种主要仪器。创新的新工具将能够在室温和超冷条件下测量具有特定质荷比的大型生物聚集体中手性识别的红外特征，从而对构象转换和识别事件进行前所未有的深入了解。 我们在理解手性分子如何将手性信息传递给非手性分子以及有机和无机化合物的手性测定方面做出了重要贡献。我们已经成功地证明了一个组合的矩阵隔离振动圆二色性（VCD）技术的自聚集和手性转移事件和探测外来的手性物种，否则将是非常难以研究的能力。为了利用我们的成功，我们将探索两种尖端手性检测技术的创新应用，即VCD和拉曼旋光光谱仪（加拿大首个此类光谱仪），用于糖蛋白和手性保护的金属纳米颗粒。