enantiomerit

Enantiomerit is not a widely recognized term in chemistry. It is likely a misspelling or variation of concepts such as enantiomer or enantiomerism, which describe a fundamental aspect of molecular symmetry known as chirality. Chiral molecules are not superimposable on their mirror images, much like left and right hands. The two non-superimposable mirror images are called enantiomers.

Enantiomers have identical chemical formulas and nearly identical physical properties in achiral environments, such as melting points and boiling points. They can, however, interact very differently with other chiral substances, including many biological systems. This difference makes enantiomers especially important in chemistry and biochemistry, where a single enantiomer can have distinct biological activity from its mirror image.

Optical activity is a key characteristic of enantiomers. Enantiomers rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions; one may be designated dextrorotatory (d or +) and the other levorotatory (l or −). The observed rotation depends on concentration and path length, and the absolute direction of rotation does not necessarily correlate with the absolute configuration (R or S) of the chiral center.

Enantiomeric purity is measured by enantiomeric excess (ee), defined as the difference in mole fraction between the two enantiomers. Mixtures containing equal amounts of both enantiomers are termed racemic. Methods to separate enantiomers or to synthesize them selectively include chiral resolution, asymmetric synthesis, and the use of enzymes or chiral catalysts.

Applications of enantiomeric control are widespread in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials science, where the biological or sensory effects of each enantiomer can be markedly different.