Recent Trends in Chiroptical Spectroscopy: Theory and Applications of Vibrational Circular Dichroism and Raman Optical Activity

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Raman optical activity; chirality; circular dichroism; spectroscopy; vibrational spectra.