First Optically Active Molecular Electronic Wires

The optically active molecular electronic wires (S)- and (R)-7 containing an oligo-arylene-ethynylene structure and a chiral 1,1‘-binaphthyl unit are synthesized. These molecules are incorporated into nanowell devices by self-assembly on the gold surface. In the nanowell devices, the median currents from the molecules containing both S and R enantiomers are significantly smaller than those from the pure S or R molecule. Compounds (R)- and (S)-7 are also less conductive than the fully conjugated oligo-phenylene-ethynylene-thiol molecules.