Chiral imprinting in molten gallium

Abstract

Chiral imprinting in molten gallium can be attained by ultrasonic irradiation of molten Ga overlayed by an aqueous solution of D- or L-tryptophan. The products are micro/nanoparticles of Ga encapsulating molecules of one of the enantiomers. After leaching of the enantiomer in pure water, molecular templates are left on the surface of the gallium particles, enabling the entrapment of the specific enantiomer from a solution of the racemate and yielding an enantiomeric excess of 6–12%. The extent of the enantiomeric excess was determined using polarimetry, Chiral HPLC and circular dichroism measurements.