Experimental study of plasma-chemical synthesis of optically active substances from C2H5OH, NH3, H2O, and CO2*

This work is focused on the study of optical activity, revealed by the rotation of the polarization plane of light by matter, exhibited by the organic substances synthesized using a plasma-liquid system with a rotating gliding discharge submerged in a liquid. The synthesis was conducted using ethanol, ammonia, water, and carbon dioxide as reactants. The experiments have shown the possibility of plasma-chemical synthesis of the optically active substances when all of the starting reagents are not active. The samples collected during the experiments without the plasma activation of the gas reactant featured significant optical activity. However, this optical activity was observed only for several hours after the treatment and disappeared within a day of the experiment. The same process with the plasma activation of the gas reactant produced the substances with a significant optical activity, which could still be observed for several thousands of hours after the treatment. Additionally, the study has shown that during the plasma activation of a gas reactant the rotation angle of the light polarization plane is significantly influenced by the direction of the rotation of the carbon dioxide flow.