levotorotatorní

Levotorotatorní refers to a property of certain chemical compounds that rotate plane-polarized light in a counterclockwise direction when viewed along the direction of light propagation. This phenomenon is known as levorotation. Compounds exhibiting this property are called levorotatory or levogyre.

Chirality is the underlying cause of optical activity, including levotorotation. A chiral molecule is one that is non-superimposable on its mirror image, existing as a pair of enantiomers. These enantiomers are stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other. While enantiomers have identical physical and chemical properties in an achiral environment, they differ in their interaction with plane-polarized light. One enantiomer will rotate the plane of polarization in a clockwise direction (dextrorotation), while the other will rotate it in a counterclockwise direction (levorotation).

The direction and magnitude of optical rotation are specific to a given chiral compound, solvent, concentration, temperature, and wavelength of light used. The levorotatory enantiomer is often denoted by a negative sign (-) or the prefix "l-" or "levo-". For example, the levorotatory enantiomer of lactic acid is L-lactic acid (or (-)-lactic acid).

Levorotatory compounds are significant in various fields, including pharmacology, where the biological activity of enantiomers can differ drastically. The synthesis and isolation of specific enantiomers are crucial for developing safe and effective drugs, as one enantiomer might be therapeutic while the other could be inactive or even harmful. Analytical techniques like polarimetry are used to measure optical rotation and determine the enantiomeric purity of chiral substances.