Spontaneous chirality on an 'inert' metal surface

What is it about?

We explore how nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide together self-organise on a gold surface, and show that they spontaneously form chiral ('handed') structures. Exploiting surface chirality is the key to using metal surfaces to catalyse chiral chemical reactions in a controlled way. Understanding the various ways in which surface chirality can arise will be a vital step towards that goal.

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Why is it important?

Our work should directly benefit other researchers in the rapidly developing field of chiral surface chemistry. Longer-term, work in this area will feed into the development of new synthetic routes that can be used in pharmaceutical manufacture. Cheaper and more efficient ways of manufacturing drugs would be of enormous benefits in global healthcare and to the economy.