Emeritus/Research Professor
Thurman D. Kitchin Professor
Office: Salem Hall, 016B
Phone: (336) 758-5131
Email: dilip@wfu.edu
Education
B.Sc. 1971, Madras University
M.Sc. 1973, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Ph.D. 1979, University of Texas at Austin (Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Laureate)
Research Description
A general theory of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in chemical systems has been formulated. The fundamental equations of this theory depend only on the two-fold mirror-image symmetry and not on the details of the chemical kinetics. Close to equilibrium, the system will be in a symmetric state in which the amounts of the two enantiomers of all chiral molecules are equal. When the system is driven away from equilibrium by a flow of chemicals, a point is reached at which the system becomes unstable to small fluctuation in the difference in the amount of the two enantiomers. As a consequence, a small random fluctuation in the difference in the amount of the two enantiomers spontaneously grows and the system makes a transition to an asymmetric state. The general theory describes this phenomenon in the vicinity of the transition point.
Publications
“Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Sodium Chlorate Crystallization”, D.K. Kondepudi, R. Kaufmann and N. Singh, Science 250 (1990) 975 – 976. Citations > 500
” Weak Neutral Currents and the Origin of Biomolecular Chirality” D.K. Kondepudi and G.W. Nelson, Nature, 314 (1985) 438 – 441. Citations > 270
“Chiral Autocatalysis, Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, and Stochastic Behavior”, Kondepudi, D.K. Asakura, K, Accounts of Chemical Research, 34(2001) 946-954. Citations > 170
“Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Stirred Crystallization of 1,1′- Binaphthyl Melt”, Kondepudi, D.K., Asakura, K. and Laudadio, J., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121 (1999)1448-1451. Citations > 120
“Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Nonequilibrium Systems”. Kondepudi, D. K. and Nelson, G.W., Phys. Rev. Lett. 50 (1983) 1023 – 1026. Citations > 120
” Kinetics of Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Crystallization” D. K. Kondepudi, K. L. Bullock, J.A. Digits, J.K. Hall and J. Miller, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 115(1993) 10211-10216. Citations > 100
“Chiral Symmetry Breaking states and Their Sensitivity in Nonequilibrium Systems” D. K. Kondepudi, G.W.Nelson, Physica 125A (1984) 465 – 496. Citations > 90
“The Handedness of the Universe” (Invited article) R. A. Hegstrom and D. K. Kondepudi, The Scientific American, 262 ( Jan. 1990) 108 – 115. Citations > 75
Review Article: “Emergence of homochirality in far-for-equilibrium systems: mechanisms and role in prebiotic chemistryz” Plasson, R., Kondepudi, D.K., Bersini, H., Commeyras, A., Asakura, K. Chirality 19 (2007) 589-600. Citations > 65
“Stirring Rate as a Critical Parameter in Chiral Symmetry Breaking Crystallization” K. Kondepudi, K.L. Bullock, J.A. Digits, P.D. Yarborough, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117 (1995) 401-404. Citations > 60
“Selection of Molecular Chirality by Extremely Weak Chiral Interactions Under Far-From-Equilibrium Conditions” (Proc. of Symposium on Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Rouen, 1986) D. K. Kondepudi, Biosystems, 20 (1987) 75 – 83. Citations > 47
“Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Crystallization: The Role of Convection” Buhse, T., Kondepudi, D.K. , Durand, D., Laudadio, J., Spilker, S. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 (2000) 4405-4408. Citations > 40
Articles on Thermodynamics of Nonequilibrium Systems
“Sensitivity of Nonequilibrium Systems”, D. K. Kondepudi and I. Prigogine, Physica 107A (1981) 1 – 24. Citations > 75
” Sensitivity of Nonequilibrium Chemical Systems to Gravitational Field” D.K. Kondepudi, I. Prigogine Adv. in Spaaaaaace Res. Vol. 3, No. 5 (1983) 171 -176. Citations > 60
Awards and Accomplishments
Thurman D. Kitchin Professor of Chemistry
Ranlet and Frank Bell, Jr. Faculty Fellowship 2011-2013
Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship 2011
AAAS Fellow 2009
Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, Office of Entrepreneurship and Liberal Arts 2008