Lord Kelvin Archives

This is how chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS effect) manifests itself: Electrons (e– or red and green spheres with arrows indicating electron spin, either up or down) with the "wrong" direction of rotation (spin) are held back or filtered out when tunneling through spiral molecules, depending on the handedness of the spirals (left- or right-handed), so that one type of electron spin predominates (electrons with the arrow pointing downwards on the left side). The electric field of a metallic surface (E, pointing upwards, right side) shifts the electrons in the bound heptahelical molecules; these accumulate slightly in the lower part of the molecule near the surface. In the case of chiral molecules, electrons with different spins are also shifted differently depending on the handedness of the molecule. The molecule becomes "spin-polarized", i.e. also magnetic. Depending on the direction of magnetization of the metallic surface, chiral molecules therefore interact with it to different degrees. In this example, the purple spiral therefore binds more strongly to the surface than the yellow one, as opposite spins "attract" each other (the red and green electrons with different spins sitting on top of each other). Graphic: Empa

Astrochemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release

Homochirality Of Life: Magnetic Effects At The Origin Of Life?

by Keith CowingFebruary 21, 2024February 21, 2024

The so-called homochirality of life – the fact that all biomolecules in living organisms only ever occur in one of two mirror-image forms – has puzzled a number of scientific […]

Lord Kelvin

Homochirality Of Life: Magnetic Effects At The Origin Of Life?

PJ Harvey Announces New Song “Voyager”

Fifty Years after Viking: The Promise of Solar System Microbiology and Microbial Ecology

Characterising Transiting Exoplanets At Long Orbital Period: Lessons Learned For PLATO From 10 Years Of Monitoring The HIP41378 System

Implications Of Self-consistent H2O Ice Optical Constants On Radiative Transfer Models Of Disks

The GAPS Programme at TNG LXXIV. A Reanalysis Of The Planetary Systems TOI-1272 And TOI-1694 With HARPS-N And Retraction Of The Planetary Interpretation Of TOI-1272 c