dextrorotatorní

Dextrorotatory refers to a property of certain chemical compounds to rotate the plane of polarized light to the right, or clockwise, when viewed from the direction of the light source. This phenomenon is known as optical activity, and compounds exhibiting it are called optically active. The direction of rotation is indicated by the prefix "d-" or the symbol "+". Therefore, a dextrorotatory compound is one that displays this specific type of optical rotation.

The ability to rotate plane-polarized light arises from the chirality of a molecule, meaning it exists in two non-superimposable mirror-image forms called enantiomers. One enantiomer of a chiral compound will be dextrorotatory, while its mirror image, the levorotatory enantiomer, will rotate the plane of polarized light to the left, or counterclockwise, denoted by "l-" or "-". A mixture containing equal amounts of both enantiomers, known as a racemic mixture, is optically inactive because the rotations cancel each other out.

The degree of rotation caused by a dextrorotatory compound is specific to the substance, its concentration, the wavelength of light used, and the temperature. This property is often measured using a polarimeter and is an important characteristic used in the identification and characterization of chiral molecules, particularly in fields like organic chemistry, pharmacology, and biochemistry, where the stereochemistry of molecules can significantly impact their biological activity.