This book provides the reader with the latest research on vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy including its useful features and applications to many fields. The book starts from an unresolved question in gel chemistry of how component molecules are organized in the flexible fibrils of gels. VCD spectroscopy was successful in giving a clear answer to this mystery. The book also describes a key aspect of this technique lay in the fact that VCD signals were remarkably enhanced when chiral molecules formed a stereoregular molecular array over a few hundred nanometers. VCD spectroscopy was also applied to other topics involving chiral molecules such as the chiral discrimination mechanism in heterogeneous asymmetric catalysis and the build-up of supramolecular chirality in molecular crystals. Furthermore, the book covers the recent instrument developments leading to multi-dimensional VCD measurements with the coordinates of wavenumber, space and time. This progress has opened up new biological and medical applications such as the heterogenous distributions of protein domains in insect wings and the quality control of chiral drugs. The last part of the book presents the possibility of medical diagnosis of Alzheimers disease through multi-dimensional VCD analyses.

This book appeals not only to researchers and students who study spectroscopy but also to ones in catalysis, biology and medicine as users of the VCD methods.

Hisako Sato received the Dr. Sci. degree from Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan, in 1992 and the Dr. Eng. degree from the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1999. In 1983, she joined Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. She moved to the University of Tokyo as a research fellow in 2002. From 2003 to 2006, she was a CREST researcher by JST. She was a PRESTO project leader by JST from 2006 to 2010. In 2009, she joined Ehime University as an associate professor in the Graduate School of Science and Engineering. During 2010-2022, she was a full professor at Ehime University. She retired Ehime University at the end of March in 2023. She is researcher in Ehime University from 2023. Her current interest is the application of the solid-state VCD and time-step VCD methods to unravel the dynamic aspects of chiral molecular aggregates or inorganic layered materials or biological organs.

 

Jun Yoshida received the Dr. Sci. degree from the University of Tokyo in 2009.After working at Kao Corporation, he joined Kitasato University as an assistant professor and later as a lecturer. During 20142015, he stayed at Simon Fraser University as a visiting researcher. In 2021, he moved to Nihon University as an associate professor. His current interest is the development of helical supramolecules and understanding the inner structure.

 

Akihiko Yamagishi received the Dr. Sci. degree from the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, in 1975. He was a professor in the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo during 20012005. He is a visiting researcher in the Department of Medicine at Toho University. He received the Award for Creative Work from the Chemical Society of Japan in 1986, the Award from the Clay Mineral Society of Japan in 1999 and the Marilyn and Sturges W. Bailey Distinguished Member Award from the American Clay Mineral Society in 2012. He is a fellow of the Chemical Society of Japan.

Preface.- Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Basic features of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy: A unique role for analyzing supramolecular chirality.- Chapter 3. Construction of the multi-dimensional VCD system.- Chapter 4. Molecular organization of gel fibrils as revealed by VCD.- Chapter 5. Dynamical VCD for sol-gel transformation.- Chapter 6. VCD enhancement on coordination: Mono-nuclear metal complexes.- Chapter 7. Chiral tectonics promoted by VCD: Multi-nuclear complexes.- Chapter 8. Solid-state VCD of inorganic intercalation compounds.- Chapter 9. VCD probing intermolecular interactions: Molecular crystals, acid-base pairs, host-guest association and solvation.-Chapter 10. VCD challenged to interfacial supramolecular chirality.- Chapter 11. VCD of inorganic supramolecular chirality.- Chapter 12. Use of circularly polarized infra-red light to liquid crystals.- Chapter 13. VCD of biological substances: Effects of D-amino acid residues on supramolecular chirality.- Chapter 14. Microscopic VCD scanning of biological organs.- Chapter 15. Future perspectives of VCD.- Bibliography: 17 years running on a tightrope.