A nose for damaged plants and fake perfumes

The resin secreted by a damaged conifer to protect the site of the damage has its own characteristic chiral signature within that of the overall emissions of the plant. Lykourgos Bougas - Researchers develop a highly sensitive novel technique capable of detecting chiral molecules within complex gas mixtures The chiral signature of a fragrance can reveal whether a perfume is genuine or fake. Similarly, the chiral signature of the emissions of a plant can provide information on whether the plant is healthy or sick. Researchers at the Mainz based Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed an innovative approach capable of identifying and monitoring such chiral signatures. Most natural chiral substances are found in two mirror-image forms present in different relative quantities. Therefore, every plant and every perfume must have its own individual chiral hallmark. Using their new approach, the research team has been able, for the first time, to identify chiral compounds within complex mixtures of gases with a high level of sensitivity and in real time.