A unique feature of chiral transition of a difluorobenzo[c]phenanthrene molecule confined in a boron-nitride nanotube based on molecular dynamics simulations

Reliable structural information of extremal points in a reaction is important but difficult to achieve in molecular chiral transitions under confinement due to the complex molecular interactions. In this Letter, based on statistical results of a number of classical molecular dynamics simulations, we found that a complete chiral transition process of a difluorobenzo[c] phenanthrene molecule (C₁₈H₁₂F₂, called D molecule) within a single-walled boron-nitride nanotube involves at least five extremal point structures, showing a unique feature of chiral transition in the confined environment and suggesting an alternative to conventional first-principles calculations to determine the complex potential energy surface of intermolecular interactions. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.