Measurement of minute volumes of chiral molecules using in-fiber polarimetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces an innovative in-fiber polarimetry technique using a Kagome-lattice hollow-core photonic crystal fiber to accurately measure enantiomeric excess and monitor racemization of chiral molecules at very low concentrations.

Contribution

The study presents a novel opto-fluidic method that enhances sensitivity and efficiency in measuring chiral molecule enantiomeric excess using fiber-based optical activity detection.

Findings

Effective measurement of enantiomeric excess at low concentrations

Real-time monitoring of enzymatic racemization

High sensitivity due to in-fiber polarimetry

Abstract

We report an opto-fluidic method that enables to efficiently measure the enantiomeric excess of chiral molecules at low concentration. The approach is to monitor the optical activity induced by a Kagome-lattice hollow-core photonic crystal fiber filled with a sub-ul volume of chiral compound. The technique also allows monitoring the enzymatic racemization of R mandelic acid.