Toward Unraveling Solvent-Induced Chirality at the Solid–Liquid Interface

Chiral induction by the solvent phase offers a promising route to achieve homochirality in self-assembled molecular networks. In this work, we examine solvent-driven chiral induction at the solid-liquid interface, where an enantiopure solvent biases the handedness of two-dimensional (2D) networks formed by achiral molecules physisorbed on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Using scanning tunneling microscopy at the liquid-solid interface, we visualize the 2D organization of the achiral monomer 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid in chiral liquid environments. We compare the induction efficiencies of several enantiopure citronellyl-derived solvents that differ in their capacities for specific solute-solvent interactions. Complementary molecular dynamics simulations provide molecular-level insight into the possible mechanisms of solvent-mediated chiral induction.