SPECTRAL SIGNATURES OF CHIRALITY AND CHIRALITY RECOGNITION

一个分子是手性的，或者说是表现出“手性”，如果它的镜像不能叠加到它自己上。如果没有这个重要的事实：生物体产生的许多分子都表现出特定的手性，那么对手性和手性识别的研究将是一项纯粹的科学冒险。当一个与生物体中预期受体相匹配的镜像是活跃的，另一个可能是不活跃的或可能造成严重的伤害。然而，在评估和找到这些影响的解决方案方面存在重大挑战，因为镜像在许多方面是如此相似！我的研究计划致力于通过开发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。我们对模型手性接触对和氨基酸聚集体的原始工作大大促进了在分子水平上对手性识别进行严格描述的目标。该提案包括一个主要的仪器开发使用最先进的激光和质谱技术。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量/电荷比的大型生物聚集体的手性识别红外特征，从而前所未有地深入了解构象转换和识别事件。我们在了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组合矩阵隔离-振动圆二色性（VCD）技术的能力，该技术可以跟踪自聚集和手性转移事件，并探测外来手性物种，否则很难研究。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和拉曼光学活性光谱仪（加拿大首个此类技术）用于糖蛋白和手性保护金属纳米颗粒。

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.