senantiomeereja

Senantiomeereja, commonly known as enantiomers, are a pair of stereoisomers that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. This means they have the same connectivity of atoms but differ in their three-dimensional arrangement. Imagine a pair of hands: they are mirror images but cannot be perfectly overlaid onto each other. This specific type of stereoisomerism is called chirality, and a molecule that exhibits this property is called chiral.

The prefix "enantio-" comes from the Greek word for "opposite," highlighting the mirror-image relationship. Senantiomeereja possess identical physical properties such as melting point, boiling point, and density. However, they exhibit different behavior in 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 counter-clockwise direction by the same magnitude (levorotatory, denoted by - or l). This phenomenon is known as optical activity.

In chemical reactions, senantiomeereja can react differently, especially when interacting with other chiral molecules or chiral reagents. This is particularly important in biological systems, where enzymes and receptors are often chiral. Consequently, one enantiomer of a drug might be therapeutically active, while the other might be inactive or even toxic. The separation of senantiomeereja is a significant challenge in organic chemistry and is crucial for pharmaceutical and biochemical applications.