CDspektroskopiaa

CD spektroskopiaa, also known as Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, is a technique used to study the chiral properties of molecules. Chiral molecules are those that exist in two forms, which are mirror images of each other, much like our left and right hands. These forms, called enantiomers, can have different effects on polarized light.

In CD spectroscopy, the sample is exposed to circularly polarized light, which is light whose electric field rotates in a circular path. The left and right circularly polarized light components interact differently with chiral molecules. This difference in interaction is measured as the CD signal. The CD spectrum, which is a plot of the CD signal against the wavelength of light, provides information about the electronic transitions and the chiral environment of the molecule.

CD spectroscopy is widely used in various fields such as biochemistry, pharmaceuticals, and materials science. In biochemistry, it is often used to study the secondary structure of proteins and the conformation of nucleic acids. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used to determine the enantiomeric purity of drugs, as the two enantiomers of a drug can have different biological activities. In materials science, it is used to study the optical properties of chiral materials.

The CD spectrum is typically measured in the ultraviolet (UV) and visible regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The sensitivity of CD spectroscopy is high, allowing for the detection of small changes in the chiral environment of a molecule. However, the technique is limited to the study of chiral molecules and cannot be used to study achiral molecules.