Chirality in solution is controlled simply by molecular stereocentres, while that in crystals has the added complexity that all molecules in the crystaL unit cell must be considered. Crystal packing typically involves centrosymmetric arrangements of enantiomeric pairs, meaning that chiral crystals are rare. On surfaces, however, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) usually pack into units containing internal rotational symmetry, preserving chirality.
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