Self-organization of lactates in the gas phase

Org Biomol Chem. 2003 Dec 7;1(23):4351-8. doi: 10.1039/b308580e. Epub 2003 Oct 27.

Abstract

Chiral recognition and subsequent selective self-organisation into hydrogen-bonded n-mers is observed in supersonic methyl lactate expansions. The nu(OH) and nu(C=O)-vibrations are investigated by ragout-jet FTIR-spectroscopy and lead to the assignment of homo- and heterochiral clusters of at least three different cluster sizes. Whereas homo- and heterochiral dimers are formed in similar amounts in the racemic mixture, prominent absorptions due to different homochiral and heterochiral lactate trimers and tetramers indicate highly specific chiral self-recognition beyond molecular pairs. Chemical modification of the ester-group (methyl-, ethyl- and isopropyl-lactate) and argon admixture to the helium expansion contribute importantly to an understanding of the cluster spectra and topology.

MeSH terms

  • Argon / chemistry
  • Gases / chemistry*
  • Lactates / chemistry
  • Lactic Acid / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
  • Stereoisomerism

Substances

  • Gases
  • Lactates
  • methyl lactate
  • Lactic Acid
  • Argon
  • ethyl lactate