Mallory Green

Chirality is threaded through many areas of science and life. There is a desire to harness this property to drive chemical reactions, create new materials, and provide understanding for important life processes. Spectroscopy, specifically gas-phase spectroscopy, provides routes of control and intimate interrogation of these processes. However, chirality has always been a unique challenge for spectroscopy, as two enantiomers cannot be distinguished by their electronic structure alone and most chiral sensitive effects are weak, thus requiring more dense samples for observation, where individual interactions are more difficult to regulate and analyze. My group will utilize photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoelectron circular dichroism to develop custom instruments capable of investigating chiral-sensitive interactions in the gas phase. Specific research directions include:

Determining the Role of Chirality in Atmospheric and Interstellar Environments

Limitations of chiral detection in vacuum have led to a gap in understanding of the role chirality plays in dilute environments, such as our atmosphere and the interstellar medium. Photoelectron circular dichroism spectroscopy provides high enantio-sensitivity, which bypasses these limitations, allowing for interrogations of discrete chiral phenomena in the gas phase. Using high resolution anion photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron circular dichroism, we can investigate short-lived chiral interactions in isolation. With this technique, it is possible to investigate potentially important intermediates which can lead to build up of enantiomeric excess in our atmosphere, or in space. This work will enable more accurate atmospheric modeling needed to combat climate change and provide insight into the origins of life.

Enantio-Sensitive Analysis of Chiral Metabolite Biomarkers in Low Concentrations

Determination of concentrations of metabolite biomarkers in clinical samples is readily used in the characterization of patient pathology. The chirality of biomarkers can be utilized to further identify a number of disease processes, including Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and cancer. There is a need for analytical techniques that can provide structural information about biomarker metabolites, at incredibly low concentrations within small samples. Mass spectrometry coupled to anion photoelectron circular dichroism provides a route for enantiomeric determination at low concentrations, with informative structure determination. My group will develop this analytical technique, with a focus on maximizing sensitivity to concentration- and size-limited samples and multiplexed analysis, ideal for use in biomedical settings.