Quantitative Chiral Analysis by Molecular Rotational Spectroscopy

Published in Chiral Analysis 2nd Edition , June 2018
Authors: Brooks H. Pate, Luca Evangelisti, Walther Caminati, Yunjie Xu, Javix Thomas, David Patterson, Cristobal Perez, Melanie Schnell

Summary

Originally published as a chapter in Chiral Analysis: Advances in Spectroscopy, Chromatography and Emerging Methods, Second Edition, this work reviews recent advances in the application of molecular rotational spectroscopy to chiral analysis. The authors describe how broadband rotational spectroscopy can be used to analyze diastereomers and distinguish molecules with multiple chiral centers, providing highly specific structural information that is difficult to obtain using conventional analytical techniques.

The chapter highlights two emerging approaches for enantiomer-specific analysis. The first uses noncovalent chiral tagging to convert enantiomers into diastereomeric complexes, enabling determination of absolute stereochemistry and measurement of enantiomeric excess without reference samples. The second employs microwave three-wave mixing, which generates a phase-dependent chiral signal and enables direct analysis of chiral molecules in complex mixtures without requiring chromatographic separation. Together, these methods demonstrate the growing role of molecular rotational spectroscopy in quantitative chiral analysis and stereochemical characterization.