Israeli study opens door to more efficient isotope-based technologies
Baku, May 21, AZERTAC
A new Israeli study suggests that the direction of a magnetic field may influence how key biological molecules behave, a finding that could shed light on fundamental chemistry related to the origins of life, TPS-IL reported.
The research was conducted by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science. It indicates that subtle differences between atoms can affect how molecules move and react when exposed to magnetic fields and a quantum property known as electron spin.
The study was led by Prof. Yossi Paltiel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Prof. Michal Sharon of the Weizmann Institute of Science.
The researchers focused on L-methionine, an amino acid that serves as one of the basic building blocks of life. Like many biological molecules, methionine is chiral, meaning it exists in two mirror-image forms, similar to left and right hands. Life on Earth uses almost exclusively one of these forms, and scientists have long sought to understand why.
To investigate, the team passed a methionine solution through a specialized filter containing tiny magnetic particles. Some of the molecules contained a heavier carbon isotope (carbon-13 instead of the more common carbon-12).
The results were unexpected.
Molecules Respond to Magnetic Direction
Depending on the direction of the magnetic field, heavier and lighter molecules behaved differently. In some cases, heavier molecules moved more slowly while lighter ones passed through more quickly. In other cases, the pattern reversed, as if the molecules were temporarily retained and then released.
The researchers said these effects were “not random,” but were consistent, measurable, and directly linked to magnetic orientation.
To explain the phenomenon, the scientists examined electron spin, a quantum property in which electrons and atomic nuclei behave as if they are tiny spinning objects. The direction of spin can influence how they interact with materials.
Chiral molecules such as methionine are already known to interact with electron spin through a mechanism called chiral-induced spin selectivity. In simple terms, a molecule’s shape can influence how electrons move through it.
The researchers found that this effect also extends to isotopes—atoms that are nearly identical but differ slightly in mass and nuclear spin.
“This work introduces spin as a new player in isotope chemistry,” the researchers said.
Isotopes function as “fingerprints” in science, helping researchers trace the origin of molecules and understand chemical processes, including those linked to the emergence of life on early Earth.
The findings may also contribute to understanding how life came to favor one “handed” form of molecules over another, a long-standing question in biology.
The researchers suggest that magnetic environments, possibly present on early Earth, may have influenced which molecules formed and persisted, subtly shaping early chemical evolution.
Improved control over isotope separation could also have practical applications, including more efficient medical imaging, cancer treatment technologies, tracking pollution sources, monitoring water cycles, and supporting climate research. Additional applications may include archaeology and geology, particularly radiocarbon dating.
The study also relates to the field of quantum biology, which explores whether quantum effects such as electron spin play a role in biological systems. If magnetic fields can influence molecules in a spin-dependent way, it may suggest that quantum-scale phenomena contributed to shaping fundamental biological processes.
The researchers concluded that spin and magnetism “introduce a new layer of control in chemistry.”
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Chem.
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