enantiomeerista

Enantiomers are a type of stereoisomer, which are molecules with the same molecular formula and connectivity but a different spatial arrangement of atoms. Specifically, enantiomers are pairs of molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, much like a left hand and a right hand. This relationship arises from the presence of a chiral center, typically a carbon atom bonded to four different groups.

When a molecule contains one or more chiral centers, it can exist as different stereoisomers. If a molecule has only one chiral center, it can exist as two enantiomers. These enantiomers have identical physical properties such as melting point, boiling point, and solubility in achiral solvents. However, they differ in their interaction with plane-polarized light. One enantiomer will rotate the plane of polarized light in a clockwise direction (dextrorotatory, denoted by (+) or d-), while the other will rotate it in a counter-clockwise direction (levorotatory, denoted by (-) or l-).

A mixture of equal amounts of two enantiomers is called a racemic mixture or racemate. Racemic mixtures are optically inactive because the opposing rotations of plane-polarized light by each enantiomer cancel each other out. In biological systems, enantiomers can exhibit significantly different pharmacological or physiological effects because biological receptors and enzymes are often chiral and can distinguish between the two mirror-image forms. This is why the synthesis and separation of pure enantiomers are crucial in fields like pharmaceuticals, where one enantiomer might be therapeutically active and the other inactive or even toxic.