Chiral symmetry breaking from Surface to Bulk: a multidisciplinary approach of the crystallization of achiral and chiral molecules.

Chiral symmetry breaking (CSB) occurs at various length- and timescales and results from physical or chemical processes, both in the bulk and at interfaces. At equilibrium, no enantiomeric excess (ee) results from CSB. Out of equilibrium, the situation is radically different. Systems opt for either one or the other enantiomers, as theorized by Kondepudi. CSB is of tremendous importance in biology (origin of life), and chemistry (materials, drugs). A striking feature is how a tiny initial structural asymmetry can give rise to ee approaching unity, e.g. the simple replacement of an isotope by another one (H/D) suffices to yield large ee in Soai reactions. Such chiral amplification occurs also during crystallization of various molecules and salts, as shown by Viedma and others.