Chiral Molecules in Chemistry: Understanding their Significance in Pharmaceuticals and Beyond

What is “chiral?”

When 4 different groups are bonded to the alpha carbon the amino acid is said to be chiral. Which means they exist as 2 mirror image forms the L isomer and the D isomer.

In chemistry, the term “chiral” refers to the property of an object, such as a molecule, that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image. In other words, a chiral object is non-superimposable on its mirror image. This property arises when a molecule has a center of asymmetry, known as a chiral center. A chiral molecule is significant because it can exist in two or more forms that are essentially mirror images of each other, known as enantiomers, which have different physical and chemical properties. This property is important in industries such as pharmaceuticals, where different enantiomers can have different biological effects in the human body.

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