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Diffuse Reflectance Circular Dichroism for the Detection of Molecular Chirality: An Application in Remote Sensing of Flora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Ramon D. Wolstencroft ,
George E. Tranter  and
Delphine D. Le Pevelen
Ramon D. Wolstencroft
Affiliation:
Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, UK & The U.K. Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, EH9 3HJ, U.K.
George E. Tranter
Affiliation:
Biospectroscopy Laboratory, Biological Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Division, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K.
Delphine D. Le Pevelen
Affiliation:
Biospectroscopy Laboratory, Biological Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences Division, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K.

Abstract

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Terrestrial biochemistry is based upon chiral (handed) molecules, of which only one of the two possible hands is predominantly employed. This biomolecular “homochirality”, may be a universal “signature” of life. Along with all living organisms, plant leaves are constructed from arrays of chiral molecules of a single hand. Through the development of a new spectroscopic approach, Diffuse Reflectance Circular Dichroism in the UV-visible wavelength regions, we have detected this chirality non-invasively from non-specular light scattered by leaves. The characteristic spectra are sensitive to plant species and leaf age/health. The technique may provide a means of remote sensing the state of flora and, at closer range, an indicator of living organisms for interplanetary landers.

Type
Astrochemistry
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 149 - 153
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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