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Chirality (/ k aɪ ˈ r æ l ɪ t i /) 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 ...
A chiral molecule is a molecular structure that is different from its mirror image. This property, while seemingly abstract, can have big consequences in biochemistry, where the shape of molecules is essential to their chemical function, [3] and where a chiral molecule can have very different biological activities from its mirror-image molecule. [4]
These types of chirality are far less common than central chirality. BINOL is a typical example of an axially chiral molecule, while trans-cyclooctene is a commonly cited example of a planar chiral molecule. Finally, helicene possesses helical chirality, which is one type of inherent chirality.
[4] [5] The configuration of other chiral compounds was then related to that of (+)-glyceraldehyde by sequences of chemical reactions. For example, oxidation of (+)-glyceraldehyde (1) with mercury oxide gives (−)-glyceric acid (2), a reaction that does not alter the stereocenter. Thus the absolute configuration of (−)-glyceric acid must be ...
For chiral examination there is a need to have the right chiral environment. This could be provided as a plane polarized light, an additional chiral compound or by exploiting the inborn chirality of nature. The chiral analytical strategies incorporate physical, biological, and separation science techniques.
Louis Pasteur - pioneering stereochemist. Chirality can be traced back to 1812, when physicist Jean-Baptiste Biot found out about a phenomenon called "optical activity." [10] Louis Pasteur, a famous student of Biot's, made a series of observations that led him to suggest that the optical activity of some substances is caused by their molecular asymmetry, which makes nonsuperimposable mirror ...
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 / ˈ k aɪ r əl / describes an object, especially a molecule, which has or produces a non-superposable mirror image of itself.
In graph theory, the degree of a vertex is its number of connections. In a chemical graph, the maximum degree of an atom is its valence, and the maximum number of bonds a chemical element can make. For example, carbon's valence is 4. In a chemical graph, an atom is saturated if it reaches its valence.