CHIRAL METALS - AMINO ACID-SUBSTITUTED CONDUCTING POLYPYRROLES

Chiral amino acid groups are substituted on the 3 position of pyrrole. These functionalized monomers are electropolymerized, the high conductivity obtained for the polymers confirming the existence of long conjugated chains. The circular dichroism spectra of these polypyrroles exhibit a large positive Cotton effect, centred on the absorption band associated with the intrachain bipolaronic transition. These results reveal that the conjugated chains of conducting polypyrroles themselves have become chiral, because of an induction effect originating from the chiral substituents.