Enantiomer-specific analysis of multi-component mixtures by correlated electron imaging-ion mass spectrometry.

ABSTRACT: Simultaneous, enantiomer-specific identification of chiral molecules in multi-component mixtures is extremely challenging. Many established techniques for single-component analysis fail to provide selectivity in multi-component mixtures and lack sensitivity for dilute samples. Here we show how enantiomers may be differentiated by mass-selected photoelectron circular dichroism using an electron-ion coincidence imaging spectrometer. As proof of concept, vapours containing ∼1% of two chiral monoterpene molecules, limonene and camphor, are irradiated by a circularly polarized femtosecond laser, resulting in multiphoton near-threshold ionization with little molecular fragmentation. Large chiral asymmetries (2-4%) are observed in the mass-tagged photoelectron angular distributions. These asymmet

SUBMITTER: Fanood MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4491818 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature