Chiral symmetry breaking. II. Synthesis in cooperative systems

As was suggested in Part I [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 10907 (1999), preceding pap er], under certain conditions, in particular, when the system of molecules satisfies the conditions of cooperativity, the intermolecular interaction m ay result in enantiomeric excess in the solutions with chiral molecules, as well as with chiral-prochiral molecules. In the present paper, synthesis a nd conversion of chiral compounds is discussed within the microscopic appro ach. Kinetic description for the order-disorder phase transitions is propos ed and applied to the system of conformational enantiomers. It is shown tha t the phase transition occurs in the second order with respect to the proba bility of the isomer conversion. Enantiomeric excess of the product is show n to depend on autocatalytic activity and intermolecular coupling of enanti omers, and on some characteristics of the solution as well. Based on the ki netic description, nonlinear effects in enantiomeric excess that resulted f rom the enantiomeric coupling of the chiral catalyst, as well as the transi tion of the solution of flexible chiral molecules to a new phase consisting of identical isomers, are considered. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physi cs. [S0021-9606(99)51322-6].