Thermodynamic mechanism for solution phase chiral amplification via a lattice model.

ABSTRACT: We formulate a two-dimensional lattice model to study the equilibrium phase behavior of a ternary mixture composed of two enantiomeric forms of a chiral molecule and a nonchiral liquid solvent. Numerical solution of the model invoking the mean-field approximation of statistical mechanics allows the calculation of a ternary phase diagram. A prominent feature of the phase diagram is the appearance of a mirror-image pair of triple points involving coexistence of a liquid phase enriched in one of the enantiomers with two solid phases: a racemic and an enantiopure crystal. Thus, over broad ranges of initial composition, including liquid mixtures containing almost equal amounts of the two enantiomers, the equilibrium state of the system produces liquid-phase chiral amplification. The calculation

SUBMITTER: Lombardo TG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2741217 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature