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Molecular Chirality

Meaning

Molecular chirality is a fundamental concept in stereochemistry describing a molecule that is non-superimposable on its mirror image, much like a person’s left and right hands. Such molecules are termed enantiomers, and they often possess identical chemical formulas but distinct three-dimensional structures. This structural difference is critically important in pharmacology and endocrinology because biological receptors and enzymes are themselves chiral, meaning they can selectively interact with only one of the two enantiomers. Consequently, one chiral form of a hormone or drug may be therapeutically active, while its mirror image counterpart may be inert, toxic, or have an entirely different effect.