Gas-phase enantioselectivity

Determination of the intrinsic noncovalent interactions governing chiral recognition in diastereomeric complexes constitutes the basis for understanding information transfer between molecules in living systems as well as in synthetic supramolecular structures. The most important experimental methodologies so far employed for this task are illustrated in the present review. Emphasis is put on the principles and the applications of techniques, such as radiolysis, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) and collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectrometry, and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight (REMPI-TOF) spectroscopy, that allow measurement of the relative stability of diastereomeric ion/molecule and molecule/molecule complexes and quantification of the short-range forces controlling their enantioselective evolution to products. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.