Enantiomer Adsorption in an Applied Magnetic Field: D‐ and L‐Aspartic Acid on Ni(100)

Abstract

AbstractThere have been several reports of the enantiospecific adsorption of chiral compounds from solution onto ferromagnetic surfaces in applied magnetic fields. This work studies the kinetics of D‐ and L‐aspartic acid (Asp) adsorption onto a Ni(100) surface in a 0.45 T applied magnetic field under ultra‐high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Desorption studies performed after exposing the Ni(100) sample to L‐Asp revealed no influence of the applied magnetic field on the adsorption kinetics. Similarly, concurrent exposure of the Ni(100) surface to a mixture of isotopically labeled L*‐Asp and D‐Asp resulted in no detectable field induced differences in the relative enantiomer coverages adsorbed onto the surface. In summary, the presence of an applied magnetic field had no detectable influence on the adsorption kinetics of Asp enantiomers on a Ni(100) surface under UHV conditions. This is in contrast to the magnetic field induced adsorption enantiospecificity observed in solution phase. The possible origins of this discrepancy are considered.