Kiraliteedina

Kiraliteedina refers to the property of a molecule or other object to be non-superimposable on its mirror image. This is a fundamental concept in stereochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry that studies the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in molecules. Molecules that exhibit kiraliteedina are called chiral, while those that are superimposable on their mirror image are achiral.

The most common cause of kiraliteedina in molecules is the presence of a stereocenter, typically a carbon atom bonded to four different atoms or groups. Such a carbon atom is called a chiral center. A molecule with a single chiral center will always be chiral. However, molecules can also be chiral even without a chiral center through other mechanisms like axial chirality or planar chirality.

Chiral molecules exist as a pair of enantiomers, which are stereoisomers that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Enantiomers have identical physical properties such as melting point, boiling point, and density, but they can differ significantly in their interaction with other chiral entities, particularly in biological systems. For example, enantiomers can have different pharmacological effects. One enantiomer of a drug might be therapeutic, while its mirror image could be inactive or even toxic. This is why the pharmaceutical industry often goes to great lengths to synthesize or isolate specific enantiomers.

The detection and separation of enantiomers are important techniques in chemistry. Polarimetry is used to measure the optical activity of a chiral compound, which is its ability to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light. One enantiomer will rotate polarized light in a clockwise direction (dextrorotatory, denoted by '+'), while its enantiomer will rotate it in the counterclockwise direction (levorotatory, denoted by '-'). Separation of enantiomers is often achieved through chiral chromatography or by forming diastereomeric salts.