At the Swiss Light Source SLS at PSI, researchers have successfully shown that enantiomers can be distinguished from one another using helical X-ray light. Enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of each other. Separating such molecules is relevant in biochemistry and toxicology, as well as in drug development. (Graphic: Paul Scherrer Institute/Benedikt Rösner)
At the Swiss Light Source SLS at PSI, researchers have successfully shown that enantiomers can be distinguished from one another using helical X-ray light. Enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of each other. Separating such molecules is relevant in biochemistry and toxicology, as well as in drug development. (Graphic: Paul Scherrer Institute/Benedikt Rösner) - Using a new method, scientists are better able to distinguish between mirror-image substances. This is important amongst others in drug development, because the two variants can cause completely different effects in the human body. Researchers from Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, EPF Lausanne (EPFL), and the University of Geneva describe the new method in the scientific journal Nature Photonics . Some molecules exist in two forms that are structurally identical but are mirror images of each other - like our right and left hands.
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