Condensed Matter Seminar
Life and quantum spin, are they connected through chirality?
Prof. Yossi Paltiel
HUJI
Abstract
Living organisms rely on chiral molecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins. A chiral molecule is not
superimposable on its mirror image, also known as its enantiomer, just like our right hand cannot be
superimposed on our left hand. Organisms contain only one enantiomeric form of a molecule, a
selectivity that has prevailed through evolution. The chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect
studied by us [1], can explain why enantiomeric purity might provide an advantage in biology [2].
CISS is an electronic phenomenon in which electron transmission through chiral molecules depends on
the direction of the electron spin, a quantum mechanical property associated with its magnetic
moment. Thus, charge displacement and transmission in chiral molecules generates spin-polarized
electron distribution. This effect: enhance electron transfer in proteins, enable nano metric charge
separation, and explain biorecognition [3].
The effect also explains the high efficiency of multiple electrons process in biology (light
harvesting and respiration). This understanding can be utilized to increase the employment of green
energy by enhancing the efficiency and selectivity of the production process. Thus, improving in a
significant way the efficiency of electrolyzers, fuel cells, batteries, and solar cells [4].
Ron Naaman, Yossi Paltiel, David H. Waldeck; Chiral molecules and the electron spin; Nature Review Chemistry
3, 250–260 (2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41570-019-0087-1 (2019).
2. K. B. Ghosh, O. Ben Dor, F. Tassinari, E. Capua, S. Yochelis, A. Capua, S.-H. Yang, S. S. P. Parkin, S. Sarkar, L.
Kronik, L. T. Baczewski, R. Naaman, and Y. Paltiel; Enantio-Specific Interaction of Chiral Molecules with
Magnetic Substrates Science 360, 1331 10.1126/science.aar4265 (2018).
3. Yael Kapon, Abhijit Saha, Tal Duanis-Assaf, Thijs Stuyver, Amir Ziv, Tzuriel Metzger, Shira Yochelis, Sason
Shaik, Ron Naaman, Meital Reches, and Yossi Paltiel, Evidence for New Enantiospecific Interaction Force in
Chiral Biomolecules CHEM 7, 1–13 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2021.08.002
4. Wenyan Zhang, Koyel Banerjee-Ghosh, Francesco Tassinari, and Ron Naaman, Enhanced Electrochemical Water
Splitting with Chiral Molecule-Coated Fe 3 O 4 Nanoparticles ACS Energy Lett. 3, 2308−2313 (2018).
superimposable on its mirror image, also known as its enantiomer, just like our right hand cannot be
superimposed on our left hand. Organisms contain only one enantiomeric form of a molecule, a
selectivity that has prevailed through evolution. The chiral induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect
studied by us [1], can explain why enantiomeric purity might provide an advantage in biology [2].
CISS is an electronic phenomenon in which electron transmission through chiral molecules depends on
the direction of the electron spin, a quantum mechanical property associated with its magnetic
moment. Thus, charge displacement and transmission in chiral molecules generates spin-polarized
electron distribution. This effect: enhance electron transfer in proteins, enable nano metric charge
separation, and explain biorecognition [3].
The effect also explains the high efficiency of multiple electrons process in biology (light
harvesting and respiration). This understanding can be utilized to increase the employment of green
energy by enhancing the efficiency and selectivity of the production process. Thus, improving in a
significant way the efficiency of electrolyzers, fuel cells, batteries, and solar cells [4].
Ron Naaman, Yossi Paltiel, David H. Waldeck; Chiral molecules and the electron spin; Nature Review Chemistry
3, 250–260 (2019) DOI: 10.1038/s41570-019-0087-1 (2019).
2. K. B. Ghosh, O. Ben Dor, F. Tassinari, E. Capua, S. Yochelis, A. Capua, S.-H. Yang, S. S. P. Parkin, S. Sarkar, L.
Kronik, L. T. Baczewski, R. Naaman, and Y. Paltiel; Enantio-Specific Interaction of Chiral Molecules with
Magnetic Substrates Science 360, 1331 10.1126/science.aar4265 (2018).
3. Yael Kapon, Abhijit Saha, Tal Duanis-Assaf, Thijs Stuyver, Amir Ziv, Tzuriel Metzger, Shira Yochelis, Sason
Shaik, Ron Naaman, Meital Reches, and Yossi Paltiel, Evidence for New Enantiospecific Interaction Force in
Chiral Biomolecules CHEM 7, 1–13 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2021.08.002
4. Wenyan Zhang, Koyel Banerjee-Ghosh, Francesco Tassinari, and Ron Naaman, Enhanced Electrochemical Water
Splitting with Chiral Molecule-Coated Fe 3 O 4 Nanoparticles ACS Energy Lett. 3, 2308−2313 (2018).