Chiral induction in the crystallization of KIO3 and LiIO3: the role of amino acids in controlling the chirality of inorganic crystals†

Abstract

Chiral induction in crystals has attracted significant attention due to its implications for developing chiral materials and understanding mechanisms of symmetry-breaking enantioselective crystallization of naturally occurring chiral minerals. Despite its potential use in chiral discrimination, this area remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate chiral induction during crystallization of naturally occurring chiral KIO₃ and LiIO₃ minerals using arginine and alanine as chiral inducers. The chiral nature of the crystallization and the effect of the chiral inducers were examined using circular dichroism, polarimetry, and low-frequency Raman spectroscopy. The impact of chiral molecules on the rate and final crystal structure was studied by electron microscopy including SEM and TEM. We demonstrate that it is possible to control the chirality with chiral exogenous molecules, mainly amino acids. Understanding chiral induction in crystal growth may open avenues for controlled assembly of chiral materials and development of novel functional materials with unique properties.