Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.117, No.1, 401-404, 1995
Stirring Rate as a Critical Parameter in Chiral-Symmetry Breaking Crystallization
Symmetry breaking processes in both equilibrium and nonequilibrium systems are associated with critical parameters. In the general theory of symmetry breaking transitions, critical parameters have an important role. In this article, we present our study of rpm as a critical parameter in chiral symmetry breaking crystallization. The random distribution of crystal enantiomeric excess is obtained for various rpm. The results show how the probability distribution initially spreads and then develops two peaks in a way similar to that observed in a second-order symmetry breaking phase transition. It is also shown that the stochastic kinetic equations that we had proposed for this process could reproduce the experimentally observed relation between crystal enantiomeric excess and rpm.
Keywords:KINETICS