Seminars Archive

Visible to VUV chiral photophysics of limonene

Abstract
Limonene is a chiral monoterpene that occurs widely, from kitchen cleaning agents and food products, to biogenic VOC emissions in forests and crops. In all cases many of its perceived qualities are enantiomer-specific. Here we examine the multi- and single-photon ionization of limonene enantiomers across a wide spectral range, particularly focussing on a chiral asymmetry in photoelectron angular distribution that can be detected when circularly polarised ionizing photons are used (PECD). The results range from demonstrations of fundamental vibronic and conformer specific effects to a new method for the selective identification of enantiomer and enantiomeric excess in multicomponent mixtures of terpenoid vapours