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Chirality (/ kaɪˈrælɪti /) is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science. The word chirality is derived from the Greek χείρ (kheir), "hand", a familiar chiral object. An object or a system is chiral if it is distinguishable from its mirror image; that is, it cannot be superposed (not to be confused with ...
Mirror life presents potential dangers. For example, a chiral-mirror version of cyanobacteria, which only needs achiral nutrients and light for photosynthesis, could take over Earth's ecosystem due to lack of natural enemies, disturbing the bottom of the food chain by producing mirror versions of the required sugars. [11]
In biocatalyzed asymmetric synthesis, a non-chiral unit becomes chiral in such a way that the different possible stereoisomers are formed in different quantities. The chirality is introduced into the substrate by influence of enzyme, which is chiral. Yeast is a biocatalyst for the enantioselective reduction of ketones. Scheme 2. Yeast reduction
Chiral drugs. Chemical compounds that come as mirror-image pairs are referred to by chemists as chiral or handed molecules. [1] Each twin is called an enantiomer. Drugs that exhibit handedness are referred to as chiral drugs. Chiral drugs that are equimolar (1:1) mixture of enantiomers are called racemic drugs and these are obviously devoid of ...
Chirality (chemistry) Two enantiomers of a generic amino acid that are chiral. (S)-Alanine (left) and (R)-alanine (right) in zwitterionic form at neutral pH. In chemistry, a molecule or ion is called chiral (/ ˈkaɪrəl /) if it cannot be superposed on its mirror image by any combination of rotations, translations, and some conformational changes.
Homochirality is a uniformity of chirality, or handedness. Objects are chiral when they cannot be superposed on their mirror images. For example, the left and right hands of a human are approximately mirror images of each other but are not their own mirror images, so they are chiral. In biology, 19 of the 20 natural amino acids are homochiral ...
There are three common naming conventions for specifying one of the two enantiomers (the absolute configuration) of a given chiral molecule: the R/S system is based on the geometry of the molecule; the (+)- and (−)- system (also written using the obsolete equivalents d- and l-) is based on its optical rotation properties; and the D/L system is based on the molecule's relationship to ...
Chiral media. Chirality with hands and two enantiomers of a generic amino acid. The direction of current flow and induced magnetic flux follow a "handness" relationship. The term chiral / ˈkaɪrəl / describes an object, especially a molecule, which has or produces a non-superposable mirror image of itself. In chemistry, such a molecule is ...