An intermediate state in gelation as revealed by vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy

Abstract

A 4 : 1 (v/v) mixture of CD₃CN and C₆F₆ was gelated by a chiral low-molecular weight gelator, N,N′-diperfluoroheptanoyl-1,2(R,R)- or -1,2(S,S)-diaminocyclohexanel. The process from a viscous isotropic solution to a stable gel was monitored by vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy. The transient VCD spectra revealed that an intermediate state existed, which was characterized by the less stable conformation of a gelator molecule.