enantioerillisistä

Enantioerillisistä is a Finnish term that translates to "enantiomeric" in English. It refers to molecules that are stereoisomers and are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. These pairs of molecules are called enantiomers. Enantiomers have identical physical properties such as melting point, boiling point, and solubility, except for their interaction with plane-polarized light. One enantiomer will rotate plane-polarized light in a clockwise direction (dextrorotatory, denoted by + or d), while the other will rotate it in a counterclockwise direction (levorotatory, denoted by - or l) by the same magnitude.

The concept of enantiomerism is crucial in chemistry, particularly in organic chemistry and stereochemistry. Many biologically active molecules, such as amino acids and sugars, exist as enantiomers. Different enantiomers of a drug can have vastly different pharmacological effects, with one enantiomer being therapeutically active and the other inactive or even toxic. For example, thalidomide had a devastating teratogenic effect due to one of its enantiomers.

The synthesis of enantiomerically pure compounds is a significant challenge and area of research in chemistry. Techniques like chiral chromatography and asymmetric synthesis are employed to separate enantiomers or produce a specific enantiomer preferentially. Understanding and controlling enantiomerism is vital for drug development, the synthesis of fine chemicals, and various biochemical processes.