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The vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of dicarvone (1), dipinocarvone (2), and dimenthol (3) have been recorded in the range 900–3200 cm−1, encompassing the mid‐infrared (mid‐IR), the CO stretching, and the CH‐stretching regions. For compound 3 also, the fundamental and the first overtone OH stretching regions have been investigated by IR/NIR absorption and VCD. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations allow one to interpret the IR and VCD spectra and to confirm the configuration/conformational studies previously conducted by X‐ray diffraction. The most intense VCD signals are associated with the vibrational normal modes involving symmetry‐related groups close to the CC bond connecting covalently the two molecular units. The vibrational exciton (VCDEC) model is fruitfully tested on the VCD data of compounds 1 and 2 for the spectroscopic regions at ~1700 cm−1, and the local mode model is tested on compound 3 at ~3500 and ~6500 cm−1. For compounds 1 and 2 also, ECD spectra are reported, and the exciton mechanism is tested also there, and connections to the VCDEC model are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) band near 2840 cm−1 in the C-H stretching region is likely to play an important role as an alternative approach to extract stereochemical information namely, glycosidic O-linkages α or β for monosaccharides. Indeed, the experimental results attribute a positive sign for the S absolute configuration (α-anomers for D-sugars and β-anomers for L-sugars) and a negative sign for the R absolute configuration (β-anomers for D-sugar and α-anomers for L-sugar) at C-1 anomeric carbon site. This band was assigned as a symmetric stretching motion of glycosidic methyl group. The idea was to reproduce and explain these experimental results by using theoretical powerful methods and go farther, by studying how to extract stereochemical information from polysaccharides. The obtained theoretical VCD spectra for six monosaccharides were in good agreement with the experiment, except for methyl L-Fucopyranoside. Truly, for this particular sugar, two VCD bands with different signs were obtained for the S-configuration (β form) and assigned both to the symmetric stretching of the methyl glycosidic group. It becomes more interesting to explore this VCD response, to allow us, possibly to examine another way to differentiate between the alpha and the beta forms for this molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the 3‐D structure of the well‐known opioid drug heroin in a solution was investigated. The goal was to provide a complete and detailed description of the stable conformers with their relative abundances. This knowledge is very important from the pharmaceutical and forensic point of view as it could help significantly with deeper understanding of heroin's metabolism and the development of antagonist medicines for the case of an overdose. As heroin is a chiral compound with five stereogenic centres, the methods of chiroptical spectroscopy supplemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied to study its conformations in chloroform solution. The selected chiroptical methods, namely, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), are inherently sensitive to the 3‐D structure of small‐ to medium‐sized chiral organic molecules. A thorough conformational analysis revealed four stable conformers of heroin in chloroform solution, where the conductor‐like polarizable continuum model of the solvent was used for all the calculations. The simulated ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), ECD, and VCD spectra were compared with the experimental ones and very good agreement was found, which enabled a detailed structure description and interpretation of the spectra. Chiroptical spectroscopy in combination with DFT calculations proved to be a very sensitive tool for the analysis of the 3‐D structure of heroin in a solution in contrast with conventional spectroscopic methods. Especially, the application of VCD seems to be a promising approach for monitoring structural changes, for instance, those caused by solvents or interactions with other agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been recently shown that enantiomers of the helicoidal paddlewheel complex [Co3(dpa)4(CH3CN)2]2+ (dpa = the anion of 2,2′‐dipyridylamine) can be resolved using the chiral [As2(tartrate)2]2− anion (AsT) and that these complexes demonstrate a strong chiroptical response in the ultraviolet‐visible and X‐ray energy regions. Here we report that the nickel congener, [Ni3(dpa)4(CH3CN)2]2+, can likewise be resolved using AsT. Depending on the stereochemistry of the enantiopure AsT anion, one or the other of the trinickel enantiomers crystallize from CH3CN and diethyl ether in space group P4212 as the (NBu4)2[Ni3(dpa)4(CH3CN)2](AsT)2·[solvent] salt. After resolution, the AsT salts were converted into the PF6− salts by anion exchange, with retention of the chirality of the trinickel complex. The enantiopure [Ni3(dpa)4(CH3CN)2](PF6)2·2CH3CN and [Co3(dpa)4(CH3CN)2](PF6)2·CH3CN·C4H10O compounds crystallize in space groups C2 and P21, respectively. Both the Ni(II) and Co(II) complex cations are stable towards racemization in CH3CN. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) data obtained in CD3CN demonstrate the expected mirror image spectra for the enantiomers, the observed peaks arising from the dpa ligand. The VCD response is significant, with Δε values up to 6 Lmol−1 cm−1 and vibrational dissymmetry factors on the order of 10−3. Density functional theory calculations well reproduce the experimental spectra, showing little difference between the peak position, sign, and intensity in the VCD for the cobalt and nickel complexes. These results suggest that VCD enhancement of these peaks is unlikely, and their remarkable intensity may be due to their rigid helicoidal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change of molecular properties with pressure is an attracting means to regulate molecular reactivity or biological activity. However, the effect is usually small and so far explored rather scarcely. To obtain a deeper insight and estimate the sensitivity of vibrational optical activity spectra to pressure‐induced conformational changes, we investigate small model molecules. The Ala‐Ala dipeptide, isomaltose disaccharide and adenine‐uracil dinucleotide were chosen to represent three different biomolecular classes. The pressure effects were modeled by molecular dynamics and density functional theory simulations. The dinucleotide was found to be the most sensitive to the pressure, whereas for the disaccharide the smallest changes are predicted. Pressure‐induced relative intensity changes in vibrational circular dichroism and Raman optical activity spectra are predicted to be 2–3‐times larger than for non‐polarized IR and Raman techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solid‐state structure of LL/DD or LD/DL diphenylalanine diluted in KBr pellets is studied by infrared (IR) absorption and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy. The structure depends on the absolute configuration of the residues. The natural LL diphenylalanine exists as a mixture of neutral and zwitterionic structures, depending on the humidity of the sample, while mostly the zwitterion is observed for LD diphenylalanine whatever the experimental conditions. The system undergoes spontaneous cyclization upon heating at 125°C, resulting to the formation of a diketopiperazine (DKP) dipeptide as the only product. The reaction is faster for LD than for LL diphenylalanine. As expected, LL and DD diphenylalanine react to form the LL and DD enantiomers of cyclo diphenylalanine. Interestingly, the DKP dipeptides formed from the LD or DL diphenylalanine show unexpected optical activity, with opposite VCD spectra for the products formed from the LD and DL reagents. This is explained in terms of chirality synchronization between the monomers within the crystal, which retain the symmetry of the reagent, resulting to the formation of a new chiral phase made from transiently chiral molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chiroptical response in the form of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) in the midinfrared region is found to be enhanced when a hydrogen of amino group of l‐tryptophan is substituted with acetyl, acryloyl, or maleyl group. The order of preference for VCD enhancement is found to be acryloyl > acetyl > maleyl group. The resulting experimental VCD spectra are also found to be satisfactorily reproduced by the quantum mechanical (QM) predicted spectra. The QM predicted spectra were simulated using the conformer populations, (a) predicted by Gibbs energies and (b) optimized to maximize the similarity between experimental and predicted VCD spectra. It is found that the conformer populations predicted by Gibbs energies do not yield the maximum possible similarity between experimental and the QM predicted spectra. This work identifies the N‐substitution of α‐amino acids and determining the conformer populations that best reproduce the experimental spectra as two new approaches for molecular structure determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational optical activity (VOA) consisting of infrared vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and vibrational Raman optical activity (ROA) was predicted, discovered, and confirmed between 1971 and 1975. My path to VOA was mentored by three pioneers of chirality and vibrational spectroscopy: Professors Albert Moscowitz, Warner L. Peticolas, and Philip J. Stephens, and while they are no longer alive today, the Chirality Medal, my award address, and this paper are dedicated to each of them. Since the discovery of VOA, a number of key advances have made possible the current era of widespread applications. The principal instrumental advances were Fourier‐transform VCD (FT‐VCD) and multichannel charge coupled detector (CCD) ROA. Computational advances include the first complete quantum chemistry formulation of VCD leading to the magnetic field perturbation (MFP) and the nuclear velocity perturbation (NVP) theories. The strength of VOA is the comparison between measured and calculated spectra that enables the determination of absolute configuration and solution‐state conformations. More recently, VCD has uncovered supramolecular chirality in amyloid fibrils and ROA to high‐order protein structure. Future challenges for VOA include describing the effects of weak intermolecular interactions, transfer of chirality, solvent effects, supramolecular chirality, and the generation of nuclear velocity electron current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiroptical spectroscopy exploring the interaction of matter with polarized light provides many tools for molecular structure and interaction studies. Here, some recent discoveries are reviewed, primarily in the field of vibrational optical activity. Technological advances results in the development of more sensitive vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), Raman optical activity (ROA) or circular polarized luminescence (CPL) spectrometers. Significant contributions to the field also come from the light scattering and electronic structure theories, and their implementation in computer systems. Finally, new chiroptical phenomena have been observed, such as enhanced circular dichroism of biopolymers (protein fibrils, nucleic acids), plasmonic and resonance chirality‐transfer ROA experiments. Some of them are not yet understood or attributed to instrumental artifacts so far. Nevertheless, these unknown territories also indicate the vast potential of the chiroptical spectroscopy, and their investigation is even more challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectroscopic characterizations of key reaction intermediates are often considered the final confirmation of a reaction mechanism. This proof‐of‐principle study showcases the application of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy for the characterization of in situ generated reaction intermediates using the key intermediates of enamine catalysis of Jørgensen–Hayashi‐type prolinol ether catalysts as model system. By comparison of experimental and computed spectra, the enamines are shown to preferentially adopt an anti‐conformation with E‐configured C=C bond. For the parent prolinol catalyst, the structure and stereochemistry of the oxazolidine side product is determined as well. This study thus demonstrates that VCD spectra can provide insights into structural preferences of organocatalysts that utilize a covalent activation mechanism. Thereby it outlines new fields of applications for VCD spectroscopy and finally adds the technique to the toolbox of physical organic chemistry for in‐depth mechanistic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absolute configuration of a chiral molecule is key to its biological activity. Being able to find out what this configuration is, is thus crucial for a wide range of applications. The difficulties associated with such a determination steeply rise as the number of chiral centers in a given compound becomes larger. Concurrently, it becomes increasingly more challenging to determine the levels and identity of potential stereochemical contaminants in a given sample with one and the same technique, leading in practice to extensive and laborious efforts employing multiple analytical techniques. Here, experimental and theoretical studies based on Vibrational Circular Dichroism (VCD) are presented for dydrogesterone, a synthetic drug employed in reproductive medicine that is a prototypical example of such a multi-center chiral compound. We show that our approach allows us to distinguish and assign its absolute configuration without prior knowledge to one of the 64 possible stereoisomers associated with the six chiral centers. Studies on mixtures of dydrogesterone and 6-dehydroprogesterone, one of the diastereomers of dydrogesterone and generally the dominant impurity of dehydrogesterone, show that we can identify the presence of both compounds from one single VCD spectrum. Moreover, we find that we can determine diastereomeric contamination levels as low as 5% from the experimental VCD spectra. Image 1 • Stereochemistry of target and isomeric impurities determined with single technique. • Assignment absolute configuration of 6 stereocenters from one VCD spectrum. • Determination of stereomeric composition of mixtures. • Determination of diastereoisomeric impurity levels down to 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have characterized the vibrational predissociation (VP) of the Ne2Br2 van der Waals complex using time- and frequency-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. After exciting Br2 within the complex to a vibrational level 16≤ν′≤23 in the B state, we follow the flow of halogen vibrational energy to the van der Waals modes in real time by recording the time-dependent behavior of Ne2Br2 (ν′), the NeBr2 (ν′-m) intermediates, and the Br2 (ν′-n) products. For Ne2Br2 (ν′=16–18), the only intermediate observed is NeBr2 (ν′-1), and the majority of the final product is Br2 (ν′-2), indicating the dissociation happens via two sequential direct VP steps. We fit the time-dependent behavior of these species to a sequential mechanism and extracted time constants for each step. For higher ν′ levels, the results show that the dissociation occurs via multiple pathways. Product Br2 from levels lower than (ν′-2) becomes much more important, with products as low as (ν′-5) being observed. For ν′=21, we observe both NeBr2 (ν′-1) and (ν′-2) intermediates. The intermediates have significantly different kinetics, with the decay rate of the (ν′-1) transient being nearly twice that of the (ν′-2) transient. Similarly, both Br2 (ν′-2) and (ν′-3) are formed in almost equal amounts, but the (ν′-2) product formation rate is faster than the (ν′-3) rate. The broad vibrational product state distributions and multiple dissociation pathways indicate that intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution becomes increasingly important for ν′>19. We also report vibrational product state distributions for direct excitation to NeBr2 16≤ν′≤23. For NeBr2, the dominant product channel is Br2 (ν′-1) for all initial ν′ studied, consistent with this complex dissociating primarily via direct VP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining absolute configuration of chiral molecule can be achieved by using vibrational optical activity (VOA) measurement methods, such as vibrational circular dichroism and Raman optical activity (ROA). Recently, vibrationally resonant sum frequency generation and difference frequency generation utilizing circularly polarized beams were theoretically studied and shown that they can be alternative and complementary VOA measurement techniques [S. Cheon and M. Cho, Phys. Rev. A 71, 013808 (2005); J. Phys. Chem. A 113, 2438 (2009)]. Even for randomly oriented chiral molecules in solutions, the sum- and difference-frequency-generation signals induced by linearly polarized incident beams with mutually perpendicular polarization directions can be nonzero and are determined by the optical activity hyperpolarizability given by a product of antisymmetric Raman tensor and vibrational transition dipole. If one of the beams involved in the three-wave-mixing processes is circularly polarized and if the difference signal is measured, not only the same optical activity hyperpolarizability but also that including electric quadrupole-ROA tensor are required to determine the signals. Here, we carried out quantum chemistry calculations to obtain these quantities for a representative chiral molecule, (S)-methyl lactate, and numerically simulated the corresponding spectra. It is shown that the circular polarization three-wave-mixing signal intensities are quantitatively similar to those of the linear polarization three-wave-mixing signals, respectively, and that they are sensitive to the absolute configuration of chiral molecule. The calculation results thus suggest that these two novel techniques will be of use in studying molecular chirality even in time domain, once polarization-modulated ultrashort pulses are used to carry out circular polarization three-wave-mixing experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra were recorded using elliptically polarized ultrashort laser pulses, produced with the help of a photoelastic modulator. The short polarization axis of the elliptical light acts as a phase-locked local oscillator field, heterodyning the chiral signal generated by the field along the long polarization axis. This leads to VCD signals that increase linearly with the ellipticity of the probe pulses and enhanced signal to noise, which is expected to improve recently reported transient VCD scans. An analogous scheme allows for vibrational optical rotary dispersion measurements. The techniques are compared with similar approaches using both a linear response picture and the Jones matrix calculus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational absorption (VA) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of (S)-(-)-glycidol were measured in water with a concentration of 6.0M in the 1000–1750 cm-1 region. Prominent and complex VCD spectral features were detected at the water bending vibrational region. Our experimental results show that water molecules can become optically active through hydrogen bonding interactions with glycidol molecules. To model the glycidol-water hydrogen bonding network in the solution, molecular dynamics simulations using the AMBER9 suite of programs were carried out. Altogether, 34 conformers of the small glycidol-(water)N clusters with N=1, 2, 3, and 4 were considered. Geometry optimizations, harmonic frequency calculations, and the VA and VCD intensity predictions of these small glycidol-water clusters were performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory using the GAUSSIAN 03 program package. Strong cooperative hydrogen bonding effects were detected in the larger glycidol-(water)N clusters. The population weighted VA and VCD spectra of each N group of glycidol (water)N=1,2,3,4 were used to produce the simulated VA and VCD spectra, which are in good agreement with the experimental VA and VCD spectra. The study shows that all these clusters make important contributions to the observed spectra and are the most important species in the aqueous solution with complicated equilibriums among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensor model based on the porphyrin nucleus of the soluble guanylate cyclase enzyme is modeled and tested with nitric oxide and carbon monoxide. Molecular oxygen is tested as a possible interferer. Geometries and electronic structures of the model are assessed by density functional theory. Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), infrared, and Raman spectra are obtained for the iron complexes uncoordinated and coordinated with the gas moieties. The sensor is capable of detecting the ligands to different extents. Carbon monoxide is less detectable than nitric oxide due to the adopted position of the molecule in the sensor; carbon oxide is aligned with the iron atom, while nitric oxide and molecular oxygens bend with an angle detectable by the VCD. It is suggested that pollutants may be detected and measured with the proposed biosensors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have implemented the combined quantum mechanical (QM)/molecular mechanical (MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of alanine dipeptide in water along with the polarizable and nonpolarizable classical MD simulations with different models of water. For the QM/MM MD simulation, the alanine dipeptide is treated with the AM1 or PM3 approximations and the fluctuating solute dipole moment is calculated by the Mulliken population analysis. For the classical MD simulations, the solute is treated with the polarizable or nonpolarizable AMBER and polarizable CHARMM force fields and water is treated with the TIP3P, TIP4P, or TIP5P model. It is found that the relative populations of right-handed α-helix and extended β and PII conformations in the simulation trajectory strongly depend on the simulation method. For the QM/MM MD simulations, the PM3/MM shows that the PII conformation is dominant, whereas the AM1/MM predicts that the dominant conformation is αR. Polarizable CHARMM force field gives almost exclusively PII conformation and other force fields predict that both α-helical and extended (β and PII) conformations are populated with varying extents. Solvation environment around the dipeptide is investigated by examining the radial distribution functions and numbers and lifetimes of hydrogen bonds. Comparing the simulated IR and vibrational circular dichroism spectra with experimental results, we concluded that the dipeptide adopts the PII conformation and PM3/MM, AMBER03 with TIP4P water, and AMBER polarizable force fields are acceptable for structure determination of the dipeptide considered in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents calculated dissociative recombination (DR) rate coefficients for H3+. The previous theoretical work on H3+ was performed using the adiabatic hyperspherical approximation to calculate the target ion vibrational states and it considered just a limited number of ionic rotational states. In this study, we use accurate vibrational wave functions and a larger number of possible rotational states of the H3+ ground vibrational level. The DR rate coefficient obtained is found to agree better with the experimental data from storage ring experiments than the previous theoretical calculation. We present evidence that excited rotational states could be playing an important role in those experiments for collision energies above 10 meV. The DR rate coefficients calculated separately for ortho- and para-H3+ are predicted to differ significantly at low energy, a result consistent with a recent experiment. We also present DR rate coefficients for vibrationally excited initial states of H3+, which are found to be somewhat larger than the rate coefficient for the ground vibrational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phosphorylation effect on the small peptide conformation in water has not been clearly understood yet, despite the widely acknowledged notion that control of protein activity by phosphorylation works mainly by inducing conformational change. To elucidate the detailed mechanism, we performed infrared (IR) absorption and vibrational and electronic circular dichroism studies of both unphosphorylated and phosphorylated tetrapeptides, GSSS 1 and GSSpS 2. The solution structure of the tetrapeptide is found to be little dependent on the presence of the neutral or negatively charged phosphoryl group, and to be a mixture of extended structures including polyproline II (PII) and β-sheet conformations. The additional band at 1598 cm-1 in the amide I IR spectrum of the phosphorylated peptide GSSpS at neutral pD appears to be clear spectroscopic evidence for direct intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between the side chain dianionic phosphoryl group and the backbone amide proton. On the basis of amide I IR band analyses, the authors found that the probability of finding the phosphoryl group strongly H bonded to the backbone proton in GSSpS is about 43% at pD 7.0 and 37 °C. Such a H-bonding interaction in GSSpS has the biological standard enthalpy and entropy of -15.1 kJ/mol and -51.2 J/K mol, respectively. Comparisons between the experimentally measured IR and VCD spectra and the numerically simulated ones suggested that the currently available force field parameters need to be properly modified. The results in this paper may shed light on an unknown mechanism of controlling the peptide conformation by phosphorylation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theory of the electronic circular dichroism (CD) and optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) of infinite aggregates exhibiting cylindrical symmetry is presented in which, to the authors’ knowledge, for the first time vibrational structure is included explicitly. It is shown that, with the coherent exciton scattering approximation in the Green function approach, the detailed vibrational structure of the aggregate absorption. CD and ORD bands can be calculated from a knowledge of the electronic coupling and the monomer absorption line shape alone. Detailed model calculations for a single helix are made and the results are used to expose the origin of different spectral features. A good reproduction of experimental J-aggregate spectra is obtained, using the same electronic interaction to fit both absorption and CD spectral line shapes. The theory allows some prediction of aggregate geometry to be made, but it is shown that an unambiguous geometrical assignment can only be made where experimental spectra for light of different propagation directions with respect to the cylinder axis are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the constrained molecular dynamics simulation method in combination with quantum chemistry calculation, Hessian matrix reconstruction, and fragmentation approximation methods, the authors have established computational schemes for numerical simulations of amide I IR absorption, vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), and two-dimensional (2D) IR photon echo spectra of the protein ubiquitin in water. Vibrational characteristic features of these spectra in the amide I vibration region are discussed. From the semiempirical quantum chemistry calculation results on an isolated ubiquitin, amide I local mode frequencies and vibrational coupling constants were fully determined. It turns out that the amide I local mode frequencies of ubiquitin in both gas phase and aqueous solution are highly heterogeneous and site dependent. To directly test the quantitative validity of thus obtained spectroscopic properties, they compared the experimentally measured amide I IR, 2D IR, and electronic circular dichroism spectra with experiments, and found good agreements between theory and experiments. However, the simulated VCD spectrum is just qualitatively similar to the experimentally measured one. This indicates that, due to delicate cancellations between the positive and negative VCD contributions, the prediction of protein VCD spectrum is critically relied on quantitative accuracy of the theoretical model for predicting amide I local mode frequencies. On the basis of the present comparative investigations, they found that the site dependency of amide I local mode frequency, i.e., diagonal heterogeneity of the vibrational Hamiltonian matrix in the amide I local mode basis, is important. It is believed that the present computational methods for simulating various vibrational and electronic spectra of proteins will be of use in further refining classical force fields and in addressing the structure-spectra relationships of proteins in solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Use CREST to systematically explore the conformational space of the targets. • IR and VCD spectra of the chiral acid were recorded under different pHs. • Clusters-in-a-liquid model offers an effective way to account for solvent effects. • Comprehensive conformational distributions of the chiral acid were extracted. • Competition between intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions examined. Infrared (IR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of tetrahydro-2-furoic acid (THFA) in aqueous solutions under several different pH conditions were recorded. To interpret the IR and VCD spectra of THFA obtained in highly acidic and basic aqueous solutions, extensive and systematic conformational searches were conducted to acquire the low-energy minima for both the neutral and deprotonated forms of THFA species, as well as their hydrated clusters. This was accomplished by using the conformer-rotamer ensemble sampling tool (CREST) with an implicit solvation model for water. The CREST candidates were further optimized at the B3LYP-D3BJ/def2-TZVP level of theory. The simulated VCD spectra of the neutral THFA conformers in the polarizable continuum model (PCM) of water alone exhibit little agreement with the experimental data under highly acidic conditions. Applying the clusters-in-a-liquid solvation model by considering the monohydrate THFA conformers in the PCM of water, significantly improved agreement with the experimental data. Similarly, the deprotonated THFA species solvated with one to four explicit water molecules in the PCM of water were considered. While the IR and VCD spectra of the deprotonated THFA monohydrate conformers offer the best agreement with the experimental data, other larger hydrated clusters, particularly the dihydrates, also contribute to the spectra. Through the synergistic combined experimental and theoretical approach used in the study, comprehensive conformational distributions of the predominant THFA species across various pH conditions were extracted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AC of two highly fluorinated carboxylic acids were successfully assigned using VCD and MRR spectroscopy. The comparative study demonstrates the power of contemporary VCD analysis and the unique contributions of MRR to the analytical toolbox. [Display omitted] • The AC of two highly fluorinated carboxylic acids are assigned using VCD and MRR. • VCD and MRR are directly compared for an analysis explaining the pros and cons. • In VCD, modelling of monomeric and dimeric spectral contributions is required. • By using the appropriate chiral tag, MRR allows a successful assignment of the AC. • The unique contributions of MRR to the analytical toolbox are identified. Chiral analysis has become a crucial step in studying the stereospecific synthesis of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). Both Vibrational Circular Dichroism (VCD) and Molecular Rotational Resonance (MRR) spectroscopy are capable of determining absolute configurations (ACs) via comparison of experimental and calculated data. In this regard, each technique has its own caveats. In VCD analysis, accurate prediction of the normal modes as well as rigorous conformational searches of both the analyte and potential (self-)aggregation products are required to optimally match experimental spectra. In MRR analysis, chiral species are resolved through complexation with a chiral tag to prepare spectrally distinct diastereomeric complexes. Although individual complex isomers can be distinguished, spectral assignments need to be matched to unique isomer geometries for unambiguous AC assignment. In this work, the ACs of two highly fluorinated carboxylic acids were successfully assigned using VCD and MRR spectroscopy. In the VCD analysis, the M06-2X functional was demonstrated to be superior to B3LYP and B3LYP-GD3 in accurately predicting the C–F normal modes and both monomeric and dimeric spectral contributions were observed. In a similar analysis with broadband MRR, most experimentally identified geometries had more than one possible computational match. Nevertheless, careful consideration of the chiral tag, as well as additional isomer assignments, resulted in successful assignment of the AC. This comparative study demonstrates the power of contemporary VCD analysis and the unique contributions of MRR to the analytical toolbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Strong gel of zwitterionic GHG in water. • Peptide fibrils of exceptional length (10−4-10−3 m). • X ray diffraction of crystalline GHG fibrils reveal a P 2 1 unit cell. • vibrational spectroscopy used to validate the fibril structure. • vibrational spectroscopy used to determine the main axis of the fibril. The zwitterionic tripeptide glycyl-histidine-glycine (GHG) has been shown to self-assemble into visible crystalline fibrils that form a gel-supporting network with a very high storage modulus. Here we elaborate on the theory and experimental setup behind our novel approach employed to determining the main fibril axis for these gel-forming fibrils by simulating the amide I band profile for infrared absorption (IR), vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), and visible Raman scattering. We also highlight that combining these three vibrational spectroscopies can help in validating structures that are solved using powder x-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD). The PXRD analysis yielded a GHG fibril unit cell with P 2 1 symmetry containing two peptide monomers and two water molecules. The monomers adopt a conformation reminiscent of the distorted polyproline II conformation obtained for tri-lysine in aqueous solution. Stabilization occurs primarily through peptide-peptide intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions, while the role of water in peptide hydration is minimal. The comparison of simulated and experimental amide I' band profiles suggests that the xz plane of the crystal unit cell is being predominantly probed in the experimental IR and VCD spectra, with the x axis of the unit cell pointing in the direction of the main fibril axis. The monomer peptide in the unit cell interacts with six adjacent peptides forming hydrophobic channels by edge-to-face and parallel-displaced π π stacking in the y direction. These cores are further stabilized by a plethora of intermolecular interactions in the x and z directions. Our result suggests that the hydrophobic xz- surfaces would be a good target for the adsorption of hydrophobic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Dispersion analysis was extended to include isotropic chiral materials. • We applied extended dispersion analysis to the VCD spectra of α-Pinene. • We applied extended dispersion analysis to the VCD spectra of Propylene oxide. • The area of a couplet divided by wavenumber is the same above and below zero. Classical electromagnetic theory applied to infrared (IR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of chiral compounds can provide useful insights, such as the fact that the area of all bands of wavenumber-normalized absorbance above zero must be the same as the area below zero. Additionally, dispersion analysis based on wave optics and dispersion theory, which was extended by Born and Kuhn to include chiral substances, can be used to quantitatively describe the dielectric function and the chiral admittance functions that shape IR and VCD spectra. For dispersion analysis, pairs of coupled oscillators, with five different kinds of parameters, namely oscillator strength, damping, oscillator position, vertical distance between coupled oscillators, and the coupling constant are used to model the dielectric functions and chiral admittance functions. We report the results of such an analysis for α-Pinene and Propylene oxide. For most bands, the oscillator model using two coupled oscillators is sufficient to achieve a good correspondence between experimental and modelled data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(R)-Limonene VCD and IR absorption spectra for neat liquid samples are considered from 900 to 16,000 cm−1, using mostly data by Nafie et al. up to 10,000 cm−1 and from previous investigations of the Brescia group. New VCD data are recorded in the merely overtone and combination region between 1800 and 2400 cm−1 and for the Δ n = 6 overtone CH-stretching region above 15,000 cm−1. The GVPT2 anharmonic DFT calculations permit satisfactory interpretation of the fundamental + overtone/combination of deformation modes in the mid-IR up to 3500 cm−1. The GVPT2 approach is also used for the first CH-stretching overtone regions together with their combination with deformation modes up to 9000 cm−1. Then the local-mode approach developed within the DFT protocol is employed in all the CH-stretching regions (fundamental + overtones) and is found to satisfactorily account for the observed spectra, justifying the constant VCD pattern observed for all overtones. On the basis of the local-mode model the components of the bisignate VCD spectrum are attributed to the stretchings of the axial and equatorial CH bonds in α -position with respect to the ring CC double bond. [Display omitted] • (R)- and (S)-Limonene VCD spectra measured in the range 900–16,000 cm−1. • GVPT2 calculations for the range 900–9000 cm−1 compare nicely to experiments. • Local mode calculations for CH-stretching fundamental and overtones to 16,000 cm−1. • Local mode electrical anharmonicity up to 2nd order, Morse mechanical anharmonicity. • VCD spectra in the NIR determined by 4 local modes over 13 total. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The optimization of pellet preparation for solid-state VCD experiments. • The optimized experimental parameters were applied to amphetamine derivatives. • VCD spectroscopy as a powerful tool to distinquish structurally similar substances. • The solid-state spectra were also evaluated against the spectra in solution. Amphetamine derivatives are considered most seized substances worldwide. In this study, solid-state vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) measurements of enantiomerically pure substances were performed for spectroscopic discrimination between (S)- and (R)-enantiomers. First, we have developed a universal experimental approach to obtain reliable and reproducible solid-state VCD spectra. First, the samples were prepared as pellets composed of mixtures of camphor as a model compound and a crystalline matrix powder. In order to obtain the best results without artifacts and with a maximum signal-to-noise ratio, the following experimental conditions were optimized: pellet thickness and diameter and sample rotation speed. The optimized parameters were then used for the analysis of amphetamine and its derivatives (methamphetamine and 3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine). Our high-quality spectra and results suggest that solid-state VCD spectroscopy represents a cost-effective and easy-to-use method for the analysis of conformation changes and molecular packing in solid-state with potential applications in pharmaceutical and forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The formation of human lysozyme fibrils under agitation showed notable indeterminism. • Aggressive environmental factors can affect self-propagation of fibril seeds. • Agitation impacts conformational memory at different levels of fibrils' organization. • Different polymorphs originate at the fibrils' secondary structure. Amyloid fibrils are complex protein structures with multilayered chiral architecture, that are known to self-propagate. The replication of the mother seed structure by daughter fibrils is known as conformational or templated memory. Using vibrational circular dichroism (VCD), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) we have shown that environmental factors (here agitation) can be a competing force against the templated growth of human lysozyme fibrils. In the cross-seeding experiment non-agitated daughters preserved the structure of agitated mothers, whereas agitated daughters did not always exhibit the same characteristics as their non-agitated mothers. This pattern was reflected on various levels of fibril architecture (secondary structure, protofilament handedness, morphology), demonstrating that the structural indeterminism originates from deeper levels of the fibril structure. This observation may contribute to a better understanding of the processes behind fibril formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Conformers of solute-DMSO complexes generated using Quantum cluster growth method. • The effects of incremental DMSO solvation and dynamicity of –OH group were explored. • Predicted and experimental vibrational circular dichroism spectra matched well. • The final populations of conformers are sensitive to the choice of functional used. Chiroptical spectroscopic measurements serve as routine methods to assign the absolute configuration of chiral compounds and interpret their conformational behavior in solution. One common challenge is the use of strongly hydrogen-bonding solvents, which can significantly bias the conformational ensemble and affect the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) active bands in solution. One such solvent is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)—an excellent solvent for stubborn compounds—that must be explicitly considered in VCD analysis. Explicit consideration of solvent remains a critical challenge in chiroptical spectroscopy due to the need to explore solute–solvent conformational space and the computational expense in modeling these clusters. Interested in the recent development of the Quantum Cluster Growth (QCG) program by the Grimme lab, we set out to model and interpret previously reported VCD spectra for several molecules using their efficient program. Our purposes are two-fold: (1) to investigate the applicability of the QCG program to the problem of reproducing VCD spectra in DMSO solvent and (2) to identify limitations in using this approach. We find that we can conveniently model and analyze the VCD spectra of investigated molecules in DMSO. However, the final set of conformers used for VCD calculations are functional dependent and different sets of conformers can provide satisfactory quantitative agreement between experimental and predicted VCD spectra. We hope that this study provides guidance for future chiroptical studies in the challenging DMSO solvent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of serious accidents related to impurities of optical isomers, particularly in pharmaceutical treatment, environmental problems, and pesticide application. Among these impurities, chiral epichlorohydrin (ECH) is an important C3 synthon and a potentially genotoxic impurity. The enantiopure forms of S-ECH and R-ECH are key raw materials for synthesizing many drugs, which make it important to accurately quantify the specific conformation of chiral epichlorohydrin in pharmaceuticals. In this paper, we achieved the separation of chiral ECH by gas chromatography (GC) and based on the combination of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) experiments and theoretical calculations, the qualitative method of chiral ECH was achieved without relying on a single enantiomeric standard. [Display omitted] • By comparing the theoretical VCD spectra of the single ECH enantiomer with the experimental VCD spectra of the R/S-ECH mixture, the configuration of the dominant enantiomer in the nonracemic mixture was determined. • Combined theoretical and experimental VCD spectra with GC, the peak of R/S-ECH in GC was successfully identified. A GC method for the determination of chiral ECH independent of a single enantiomer standard is first proposed. • The concentration of the single ECH enantiomer in the mixture can be accurately quantified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A formalism to determine the chirality admittance functions was developed. • The corresponding functions were determined for α-Pinene and Propylene oxide. • For VCD spectra the Bouguer-Lambert approximation holds strictly. • The area of a VCD signal divided by wavenumber is the same above and below zero. Optical constants functions of analytes are indispensable for the effective design of plasmonic sensors. Such sensors are potentially able to enhance the sensitivity by several order of magnitudes which can greatly facilitate the determination of the generally weak spectral signals caused by vibrational circular dichroism. Accordingly, to demonstrate how to obtain these functions, we have determined the dielectric and chirality admittance functions of α-Pinene and Propylene oxide in the mid-infrared spectral range using attenuated total reflection and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy. Our iterative formalism starts with an estimation of the absorption index function, followed by the calculation of the refractive index function using the Kramers-Kronig relation and a modelled spectrum based on Fresnel's equations. By comparing the experimental and modelled spectra, we improve the absorption index function. To determine the chirality admittance function, we use the same iterative formalism, but with a modified 4x4 matrix formalism formulated by Berreman. Our results show that the experimental absorbance difference is independent of the dielectric function of the chiral substance and depends linearly on the cuvette thickness. Additionally, we provide a sum rule that can be used to assess the quality of VCD spectra and determine the position of the baseline. Our findings provide crucial insights into the optical properties of chiral substances in the mid-infrared spectral range, which have important implications for a range of applications in fields such as analytical chemistry and materials science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry-guided isolation of extracts from Didiscus aceratus led to the discovery of several new derivatives of the bioactive bisabolene-type sponge metabolite (S)-(+)-curcuphenol (1). The compounds obtained by this method included a mixture of known (2) and new (3) dihydroxylated analogs as well as a novel family of dimeric derivatives, dicurcuphenols A-E (4-8), and dicurcuphenol ether F (9). Dimers 4-9 were also subsequently obtained through a hemisynthetic method in which 1 was incubated with the enzyme laccase. Atropisomeric dimers 5 and 6 were subjected to vibrational circular dichroism analysis thereby establishing their absolute biaryl axial chirality as P and M, respectively. In contrast to 1, metabolites 2-9 exhibited weak or no cytotoxic or lipoxygenase inhibitory effects.

Recently, high-throughput quantum cascade laser-based vibrational circular dichroism (QCL-VCD) technology has reduced the measurement time for high-quality vibrational circular dichroism spectra from hours to a few minutes. This study evaluates QCL-VCD for chiral monitoring using flow-through measurement of a changing sample in a circulating loop. A balanced detection QCL-VCD system was applied to the enantiomeric pair R/S-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol in solution. Different mixtures of the two components were used to simulate a racemization process, collecting spectral data at a time resolution of 6 min, and over three concentration levels. The goal of this experimental setup was to evaluate QCL-VCD in terms of both molar and enantiomeric excess (EE) sensitivity at a time resolution relevant to chiral monitoring in chemical processes. Subsequent chemometric evaluation by partial least squares regression revealed a cross-validated prediction accuracy of 2.8% EE with a robust prediction also for the test data set (error = 3.5% EE). In addition, the data set was also treated with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), which also achieved a robust prediction. Due to the operating principle of LASSO, the obtained coefficients constituted a few discrete spectral frequencies, which represent the most variance. This information can be used in the future for dedicated QCL-based instrument design, gaining a higher time resolution without sacrificing predictive capabilities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Assignment of the most established electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of polypeptides and foldamers is either "evidence based" or relies on the 3D structures of longer oligomers of limited internal dynamics, which are derived from NMR spectroscopy (or X‐ray) data. Critics warn that the use of NMR spectroscopy and ECD side by side has severe limitations for flexible molecules because explicit knowledge of conformational ensembles is a challenge. Herein, an old–new method of comparing ab initio computed and measured vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) data is presented to validate both the structures (conf(i)) and their relative weights (c(i)) that make up the conformational ensemble. Based on the array of {conf(i), c(i)}, the pure ECD spectra, g(i)conf(i), can be ab initio calculated. The reconstructed spectrum Σc(i)g(i)conf(i) can thus help to assign any experimental ECD counterparts. Herein, such a protocol is successfully applied to flexible foldamer building blocks of sugar β‐amino acid diamides. The epimeric pair of the model system was selected because these molecules were conformationally tunable by simple chemical modification, and thus, the robustness of the current approach could be probed. The initial hydrogen bond (NH⋅⋅⋅O) eliminated by N‐methylation reorients the amide plain, which influences the chiroptical properties of the foldamer building block; this structural change is successfully monitored by changes to the VCD and ECD transitions, which are now assigned to pure conformers. The current method seems to be general and effective without requiring extensive CPU and spectroscopic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four Ala‐Ala dipeptides with a perfluoroalkyl chain at the N‐terminal were synthesized. They were able to self‐assemble into helical nanofibers and/or twisted nanobelts in a mixture of DMSO/H2O. The handedness of nanofibers and nanobelts was controlled by the chirality of the alanine at the N‐terminal. The stacking handedness of the phenylene groups and the helicity of the perfluoroalkyl chain were studied using circular dichroism spectroscopy and vibrational circular dichroism, respectively. The chirality of the alanine at N‐terminal controlled the stacking handedness of the neighboring phenylene groups. Moreover, due to the low potential barrier between M‐ and P‐helices of the perfluorocarbon chain, the handedness of the organic self‐assemblies eventually controlled the helicity of the perfluorocarbon chain. X‐ray diffraction indicated that a lamellar structure was formed by the dimers of the dipeptides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epimeric diterpenes (+)‐(1S,3E,7E,11S,12S)‐verticilla‐3,7‐dien‐12‐ol (1), isolated from Bursera suntui, and (+)‐(1S,3E,7E,11S,12R)‐verticilla‐3,7‐dien‐12‐ol (2), isolated from Bursera kerberi, gave the same Wagner‐Meerwein rearrangement product (−)‐(1E,4Z,8Z,11S,12R)‐phomacta‐1,(15)4,8‐triene (3). The Et2O:BF3‐induced transformations evidence that verticillenes and phomactanes, both containing the bicyclo[9.3.1]pentadecane skeleton, are biogenetically related through the verticillen‐12‐yl cation (A+), which also is a key intermediate in the biosynthetic pathways to generate antitumor taxanes. Molecular modeling using the Monte Carlo protocol, followed by density functional theory (DFT) geometry optimization employing the hybrid functionals B3LYP and B3PW91, both with the DGDZVP basis set, secured the configuration of 3 as followed from the good agreement between the calculated and experimental vibrational circular dichroism spectra. Similar DFT calculations allowed determining the absolute configuration of (+)‐(1R,4R,5R,8S,9S,11S,12R,15R)‐1,15:4,5:8,9‐triepoxyphomactane (9), which surprisingly derives from epoxidation of the second minimum energy conformer of 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although podocephalol (1) and its derived acetate 2 were found in Lasianthaea podocephala four decades ago, and 1 was later detected in the essential oils of several vegetal species, its absolute configuration (AC) and conformational preferences remained to be established. The structures of ar‐himachalene 1, now isolated from Lasianthaea aurea, and its derived acetate 2, were herein confirmed by extensive 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies, while the conformational preferences of the cycloheptene was established by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which in combination with vibrational circular dichroism measurements provided the (R) absolute configuration of the molecules. The structure and AC were further verified through the Flack and Hooft parameters calculations derived from single crystal X‐ray diffraction data of 2. In addition, careful evaluation of the crystal data allowed observing supramolecular layers cell package, an uncommon property in natural terpenes that might have potential applications. A transmission electron microscopy analysis of crystal of 2 was also possible, providing its physical characteristics at the micrometric scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We re-examine the theory of electronic and vibrational circular dichroism spectroscopy in terms of the formalism of frequency-dependent molecular polarizabilities. We show the link between Fermi's gold rule in circular dichroism and the trace of the complex electric dipole–magnetic dipole polarizability. We introduce the C++ code polar to compute the molecular polarizability complex tensors from quantum chemistry outputs, thus simulating straightforwardly UV-visible absorption (UV-Vis)/electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, and infrared (IR)/vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra. We validate the theory and the code by referring to literature data of a large group of chiral molecules, showing the remarkable accuracy of density functional theory (DFT) methods. We anticipate the application of this methodology to the interpretation of vibrational spectra in various measurement conditions, even in presence of metal surfaces with plasmonic properties. Our theoretical developments aim, in the long run, at embedding the quantum-mechanical details of the chiroptical spectroscopic response of a molecule into the simulation of the electromagnetic field distribution at the surface of plasmonic devices. Such simulations are also instrumental to the interpretation of the experimental spectra measured from devices designed to enhance chiroptical interactions by the surface plasmon resonance of metal nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucine and colchicine are alkaloids, which are found abundantly in Asian Countries, having medicinal values in Ayurveda and is used widely in China. But surprisingly, it is reported recently in the literature that both brucine and colchicine possess anti‐cancerous effects. A comprehensive quantum computational study of brucine and colchicine to determine its structural and electronic properties is lacking in the literature. The optimized molecular geometries, electronic and vibrational spectral analysis, Frontier Molecular orbital analysis, natural bonding orbitals (NBO), non linear optical properties (NLO), Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra were studied by Density Functional Theory (DFT) method by Computational Chemistry tool Gaussian‐09 with B3LYP/6‐311++G(d, p) basis set. Relaxed energy scans on dihedral angles in brucine and colchicine were performed to generate potential energy surfaces (PES) corresponding to rotational motions for conformational analysis. Theoretical Light Harvesting Efficiency (LHE) parameter for different halogen substitutions for brucine and colchicine were determined by TD‐DFT method. Molecular electrostatic potential surfaces (MEP) of the title compounds were generated to find the reactive molecular sites. Nonlinear optical properties (NLO) analysis showed that the first hyper polarizability values of brucine and colchicine are 25.56 and 22.15 times than that of urea. The in‐silica molecular docking analysis of brucine and colchicine were done using the Maestro ‐ Schrodinger suite 8.0 with cancer target proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upon cooling in solution, chiral triarylamine tris‐amide unimers produce organogels by stacking into helical supramolecular polymers, which subsequently bundle into larger fibers. Interestingly, circular dichroism, vibrational circular dichroism, and AFM imaging of the chiral self‐assemblies revealed that monocolumnar P‐helical fibrils formed upon fast cooling, whereas bundled M‐superhelical fibers formed upon slow cooling. The mechanistic study of this structural bifurcation reveals the presence of a strong memory effect, reminiscent of a complex stepwise combination of primary and secondary nucleation‐growth processes. These results highlight the instrumental role of sequential self‐assembly processes to control supramolecular architectures of multiple hierarchical order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) studies are reported on a chiral compound in which a fullerene C60 moiety is used as an electron acceptor and local VCD amplifier for an alanine‐based peptide chain. Four redox states are investigated in this study, of which three are reduced species that possess low‐lying electronic states as confirmed by UV/Vis spectroelectrochemistry. VCD measurements in combination with (TD)DFT calculations are used to investigate (i) how the low‐lying electronic states of the reduced species modulate the amplification of VCD signals, (ii) how this amplification depends on the distance between oscillator and amplifier, and (iii) how the spatial extent of the amplifier influences amplification. These results pave the way for further development of tailored molecular VCD amplifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

d -Serine is considered a key endogenous substance involved in several enzymatic reactions in the human body. In this study, solid-state vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) measurements of enantiomeric serine were performed for spectroscopic distinction between d - and l -serine. The mirror-image VCD signals of the isomers in the KBr pellets were observed in the mid-infrared range of 1800–1250 cm−1. The calculated infrared (IR) and VCD spectra for the optimized serine structures were in good agreement with the corresponding observed spectra. In addition, the chemical shift values estimated from the shielding constants of the optimized structure of serine corresponded with the observed values in 13C and 15N solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, supporting the VCD assignments. Our results suggest the need for further study of VCD to develop a sensitive and high-resolution spectroscopic technique for the detection of d -amino acids. • Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy determines absolute configuration of chiral biomolecules. • d -serine is a key endogenous substance in the human body. • d - and l -serine can be spectroscopically discriminated using solid-state VCD in the mid-infrared region. • The VCD features of d -serine is characteristic, compared to d- alanine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]