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PMID: 1202233 Published · ppublish English Journal Article

Neutral currents in weak interactions and molecular asymmetry.

Journal of molecular evolution ·Vol. 6 ·No. 2 ·1975-10-29 ·Pages 77-89

Garay AS, Hraskó P

Abstract

Weak interactions are parity violating forces, i.e. they differentiate between mirror images. Therefore it is a very attractive hypothesis to invoke weak interactions in explaining the origin of molecular asymmetry. It is, however, not clear whether weak interactions may operate between electrons and/or between electrons and protons? For these types of interactions so called neutral currents are needed. Recent experiments with muon neutrinos at CERN gave some evidence for the existence of neutral currents. Thus we may suppose that parity violating forces are active in molecules. In the first part of this paper a very elementary theory of weak interactions is outlined with special reference to the discovery of neutral currents. In the second part we show how weak interactions may differentiate between mirror image molecules. The asymmetrically distributed static charges in chiral molecules represent a helical potential field. This potential field may exert an effect on the orbital electrons and therefore coupling of spins and momenta occurs. Thus the enantiomers are parity transformed images not only as geometrical bodies, but their orbital electrons are parity transformed too as "a helical electron gas". Weak interactions will differentiate between L and D forms because their orbital electrons have a nonzero spin polarization with respect to their velocity.

MeSH Terms
Electrochemistry Electrons Elementary Particles Isomerism Models, Chemical Molecular Conformation Physical Phenomena Physics Protons
Chemicals
Protons
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Garay A S
Hraskó P
References (5)
5 references, click to expand
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  2. On the role of molecular chirality in biological electron transport and luminescence.
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  3. Biological significance of molecular chirality in energy balance and metabolism.
    Acta Biotheor. 1973;22(1):34-43 PMID: 4354736
  4. A hypothesis for the asymmetric appearance of biomolecules on earth.
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  5. Origin and biological role of molecular asymmetry.
    Acta Biol Acad Sci Hung. 1973;24(3):137-56 PMID: 4366923
Article Info
Journal
Journal of molecular evolution
Abbr.
J Mol Evol
ISSN
0022-2844
Published
1975-10-29
Pages
77-89
Language
English
Region
Germany
NLM ID
0360051
Subset
IM
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