Left or right? Novel algorithm takes chirality determination to the next level
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Researchers at the Molecular Photonics group of the Van `t Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences at the University of Amsterdam have significantly improved the experimental determination of the chirality or `handedness` of molecules using vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy. By employing a genetic algorithm they were able to `tame` the uncertainties in VCD analysis resulting from the fact that flexible molecules can adopt many structural conformations. Their improvement could see VCD applied on a large scale, for instance as a tool for high-throughput screening of pharmaceutical compounds or real-time monitoring of (bio)chemical processes.