Condensation oscillations in the condensation of mandelic acid

In our earlier studies, we were the first to discover a spontaneous chiral conversion of the low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids dissolved in aqueous media, running in vitro. The investigated chiral carboxylic acids belong to the classes of profen drugs, amino acids, and hydroxy acids. Then, the spontaneous chiral conversion running in vitro and accompanied by the spontaneous condensation of the discussed compounds was discovered. From the literature, we learnt that spontaneous condensation of certain chiral compounds sometimes can be oscillatory in nature. Thus, we considered it noteworthy to check if spontaneous condensation of the chiral low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids follows a linear or a nonlinear dynamic pattern. In this paper, we present the results of our studies on the dynamics of condensation of S-, R-, and rac-mandelic acid, carried out with the aid of the high-performance liquid chromatography with the diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD), and with the aid of mass spectrometry (MS). The obtained data furnish reliable evidence that condensation of mandelic acid is oscillatory in nature. Finally, a theoretical model is recalled, which jointly describes the oscillatory chiral conversion and the oscillatory condensation with S-, R-, and rac-mandelic acid.