Fluorescence-detected circular dichroism by modulated beam in the wavelength axial direction.

A novel device is described that permits fluorescence-detected circular dichroism (FDCD) detection in a conventional fluorescence spectrophotometer. FDCD is a phenomenon in which the emission intensity of a chiral analyte depends on the polarization state of the excitations. Although FDCD is a sensitive chiral detection technique, measurement of FDCD by using a special CD spectrometer has involved many difficulties. The proposed device consists of a polarizing prism and a retardation plate that fit on the excitation light side in the sample compartment of the fluorescence spectrophotometer. In this method, a FDCD wave superimposed on the fluorescence excitation spectrum of a chiral analyte was detected. We have also demonstrated the possibility of the enantiomeric purity determination of chiral analytes in real samples.