Carbo[n]helicenes Restricted to Enantiomerize: An Insight into the Design Process of Configurationally Stable Functional Chiral PAHs

The most important stereodynamic feature of carbo[n]helicenes is the interconversion of their enantiomers. The Gibbs activation energy (Delta G(not equal)(T)) of this process, which determines the rate of enantiomerization, dictates the configurational stability of [n]helicenes. High values of Delta G(not equal)(T) are required for applications of functional chiral molecules incorporating [n]helicenes or helicene substructures. This minireview provides an overview of the mechanism, recent developments, and factors affecting the enantiomerization of [n]helicenes, which will accelerate the design process of configurationally stable functional chiral molecules based on helicene substructures. Additionally, this minireview addresses the misconception and irregularities in the recent literature on how the terms racemization and enantiomerization are used as well as how the activation parameters are calculated for [n]helicenes and related compounds.

Automated summary

The interconversion of enantiomers is a key stereodynamic feature of carbo[n]helicenes, with the Gibbs activation energy determining their configurational stability. This minireview provides an overview of the mechanism, recent developments, and factors affecting the enantiomerization of [n]helicenes, aiming to accelerate the design process of configurationally stable functional chiral molecules based on helicene substructures. Additionally, misconceptions and irregularities in the recent literature on terms such as racemization and enantiomerization, as well as the calculation of activation parameters for [n]helicenes and related compounds, are addressed.