Electrochemical Studies of Enantioselectivity at Chiral Metal Surfaces

TLDR: In this article, a brief resume of the relevant electrochemical and heterogeneous catalysis literature is expounded together with an analysis of the problem of chirality in two dimensions in order to show that, by utilizing an electrochemical surface science ap...

Abstract: The combination of electrochemical methods with the use of well-defined kinked metal surfaces allows the experimentalist to examine many fundamental aspects of asymmetric reactions at solid surfaces in a new and detailed manner. For example, by systematically changing both the stereogenic center on a particular chemisorbing molecule and also the molecular architecture of the metal surface, relationships between adsorption geometry and reactive sites on the metal surface may be deduced. In addition, by measuring the differential rate of chemisorption of chiral auxiliaries on R and S metal surfaces insights in to the mechanism of the so-called “Orito” reaction (whereby enantioselective hydrogenation of α-ketoesters is observed) may be deduced. In the present article, a brief resume of the relevant electrochemical and heterogeneous catalysis literature is expounded together with an analysis of the problem of chirality in two dimensions in order to show that, by utilizing an electrochemical surface science ap...