Vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) is a new branch of molecular spectroscopy with a promising potential for yielding abundant stereochemical information. The present proposal is designed to explore this potential and identify the analytical applications of VCD spectroscopy in life sciences. The chiral molecular species which play a vital role in the regulation of nervous system, biological activity and genetics, are best investigated by VCD spectroscopy for their characterization and identification. The experimental VCD investigations will be conducted on carbohydrates, nucleosides and nucleotides to understand the relation of stereochemistry at each chiral center to the VCD arising from the vibrations around that particular center. With the establishment of such relations, applications will be projected to the stereochemical investigations on the chemical species which play a vital role in life cycle. For these experimental investigations, VCD spectrometers based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) principles and dispersive techniques will be used. In order to further our understanding of VCD phenomenon, theoretical analyses will be undertaken using the semi-classical and quantum mechanical models. Need for improving the basic concepts and existing models will also be explored.
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