Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Chirality-sensitive Nuclear Magnetoelectric Resonance

Project description

Characterising chirality by magnetoelectric resonance

Many biomolecules have a common property (chirality): a molecule cannot be superimposed on its mirror image. Although structurally very similar, the two unlike forms (enantiomers) may behave differently, meaning that only one may be desired for a given application. Consequently, chirality influences synthetic chemistry, drug development, and food processing. The EU-funded NMER project will develop a novel approach to magnetic resonance, called nuclear magnetoelectric resonance (NMER) spectroscopy, to fully characterize the chiral structure of the molecule. Observation of NMER effects will contribute to a better understanding of chiral interactions on a molecular scale without the need to chemically modify the sample.

Objective

This project lifts the blindness of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to molecular chirality. First, we will observe chirality-sensitive magnetoelectric effects. Based on these effects, a new branch of molecular spectroscopy (abbreviated as NMER) is proposed, which will enable us to identify enantiomers directly without requiring chemical shift reagents or chiral solvents. Direct chiral NMR effects are very small and have not been previously detected, but this proposal will utilize several unique new strategies, such as hyperpolarization techniques and novel instrumentation, to dramatically enhance the chirality-sensitive NMR signals. This new approach is necessary to observe chirality-sensitive effects in solution at frequencies lower than 10 GHz. It permits 1) the direct discrimination of chiral molecules, 2) selective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of chiral molecules, and 3) determination of the absolute configuration of the molecule. In contrast to standard methods used in NMR, it does not require chemical modification of the sample. Consequently, it has many potential application fields ranging from analytical chemistry (determination of enantiopurity, resolution of complex mixtures of chiral substances), biochemistry (studies of interactions between chiral molecules), pharmaceutical science (diagnostic imaging, studies of the pharmaceutical mechanism of action). At the same time, the new methodology will dramatically increase the detection sensitivity, rendering it possible to 4) record NMR spectra from molecules in the gas phase under conditions of low partial pressure. This unique form of spectroscopy will be used as an analytical tool and will permit studies of chiral molecules interactions. In combination with state of the art quantum computations it will provide valuable data on NMR tensors and allow models of fundamental interactions involving chirality to be tested on the molecular scale.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2021-STG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

UNIWERSYTET WARSZAWSKI
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 500 000,00
Address
KRAKOWSKIE PRZEDMIESCIE 26/28
00-927 WARSZAWA
Poland

See on map

Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 500 000,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0