Chirality‐Induced Switch in Hydrogen‐Bond Topology: Tetrameric Methyl Lactate Clusters in the Gas Phase

Abstract

Supersonic jet expansions of racemic methyl lactate show a prominent OH-stretching infrared absorption at 3401 cm−1 which is not present in the enantiopure compound. Experimental results and quantum chemical calculations show that the underlying tetrameric cluster has 2:2 stoichiometry of the R and S isomers and S4 symmetry (see picture; C orange, O red, H gray).