Chirality in Chemistry

Chirality in chemistry refers to the property of a molecule that makes it non-superimposable on its mirror image, much like how your left and right hands are mirror images but cannot be perfectly aligned. Molecules that exhibit chirality have a carbon atom bonded to four different groups, resulting in two distinct forms called enantiomers. These enantiomers can have very different chemical properties and biological activities, meaning one form might smell sweet while the other is unpleasant. Chirality plays a crucial role in fields like pharmaceuticals, where the effectiveness and safety of a drug can depend on its specific chiral form.