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A chiral substance is enantiopure when only one of two possible enantiomers is present so that all molecules within a sample have the same chirality sense. Use of homochiral as a synonym is strongly discouraged. [22] A chiral substance is enantioenriched or heterochiral when its enantiomeric ratio is greater than 50:50 but less than 100:0. [23]
A chiral molecule is a type of molecule that has a non-superposable mirror image. The feature that is most often the cause of chirality in molecules is the presence of an asymmetric carbon atom. [16] [17] The term "chiral" in general is used to describe the object that is non-superposable on its mirror image. [18]
Le Bel-van't Hoff rule states that for a structure with n asymmetric carbon atoms, there is a maximum of 2 n different stereoisomers possible. As an example, D-glucose is an aldohexose and has the formula C 6 H 12 O 6. Four of its six carbon atoms are stereogenic, which means D-glucose is one of 2 4 =16 possible stereoisomers. [20] [21]
Only L configured amino acids are found in biological organisms. All amino acids except for L-cysteine have an S configuration and glycine is non-chiral. [4] In general, all L designated amino acids are enantiomers of their D counterparts except for isoleucine and threonine which contain two carbon stereocenters, making them diastereomers.
Chiral molecules can differ in their chemical properties, but are identical in their physical properties, which can make distinguishing enantiomers challenging. Absolute configurations for a chiral molecule (in pure form) are most often obtained by X-ray crystallography , although with some important limitations.
Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, studies the spatial arrangement of atoms that form the structure of molecules and their manipulation. [1] The study of stereochemistry focuses on the relationships between stereoisomers, which are defined as having the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms (constitution) but differing in the geometric positioning of the atoms in space.
In stereochemistry, an asymmetric carbon is a carbon atom that is bonded to four different types of atoms or groups of atoms. [1] [2] The four atoms and/or groups attached to the carbon atom can be arranged in space in two different ways that are mirror images of each other, and which lead to so-called left-handed and right-handed versions (stereoisomers) of the same molecule.
Two enantiomers of a generic amino acid at the stereocenter. In stereochemistry, a stereocenter of a molecule is an atom (center), axis or plane that is the focus of stereoisomerism; that is, when having at least three different groups bound to the stereocenter, interchanging any two different groups creates a new stereoisomer.