Chirality is a molecular property governed by the topography of the potential energy surface
(PES). Thermally achiral molecules interconvert rapidly when the interconversion barrier
between the two enantiomers is comparable to or lower than the thermal energy, in contrast
to thermally stable chiral configurations. In principle, a change in the PES topography on the
excited electronic state may diminish interconversion, leading to electronically prochiral
molecules that can be converted from achiral to chiral by electronic excitation. Here we …

Chirality is a fundamental molecular property governed by the topography of the potential
energy surface (PES). The barrier height between two enantiomers relative to the thermal
energy dictates the timescale for their interconversion (and thus whether this can be
observed). Thermally achiral molecules interconvert rapidly when the interconversion barrier
is comparable to or lower than the thermal energy, in contrast to thermally stable chiral
configurations. In principle, a change in the PES topography on the excited electronic state …