Knowledge Bank

Correlations in the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) for a wide variety of molecules related to the simple amino acid, $alanine,1$ will be presented. Spectra have been obtained as $D2O$ solutions for deuterium isotopes of alanine, transition metal complexes of alanine, lactic acid, alaninol, as well as certain other amino acids such as valine, threonine, serine and proline. Deuterium substitution for hydrogen in alanine at the $\alpha$-carbon in one case and in the methyl group in another has provided clear insight into the origin of the CH stretching VCD in alanine and the coupling between these two molecular groups.