Application of electronic circular dichroism in configurational and conformational analysis of organic compounds

Abstract

This tutorial review is addressed to readers with a background in basic organic chemistry and spectroscopy, but without a specific knowledge of electronic circular dichroism. It describes the fundamental principles, instrumentation, data analysis, and different approaches for interpretation of ECD. The discussion focuses on the application of ECD, also in combination with other methods, in structural analysis of organic compounds, including host–guest complexes, and will emphasize the importance of the interplay between configurational and conformational factors. The tutorial also covers modern supramolecular aspects of ECD and recent developments in computational methods.