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Chirality definitions

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  • Chirality
    A property of molecules where mirror images are non-superimposable, often due to a carbon atom bonded to four different groups.
  • Enantiomers
    Chiral molecules that are mirror images of each other and rotate plane-polarized light.
  • Chiral Center
    A carbon atom bonded to four unique groups, making the molecule chiral.
  • Optical Isomers
    Another term for enantiomers, highlighting their ability to rotate plane-polarized light.
  • Achiral
    Describes a molecule that lacks a chiral center, having no four unique groups attached to a carbon.
  • Plane-Polarized Light
    Light that vibrates in a single plane, used to observe optical activity in chiral molecules.
  • Isomers
    Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements.
  • Mirror Image
    A reflection of a molecule that may or may not be superimposable on the original.
  • Inversion Method
    A technique to draw enantiomers by changing the spatial orientation of bonds.
  • Dash-Wedge Bond
    A representation of three-dimensional molecular structures, indicating bond direction.