Optical Activity

Optical activity is the ability of certain substances to rotate the plane of polarized light as it passes through them. This occurs because these substances contain chiral molecules—molecules that are mirror images but not identical (like left and right hands). When polarized light interacts with these molecules, their unique structures cause the light’s electric field to rotate in a specific direction. This property helps identify and study chiral compounds, such as sugars and pharmaceuticals, and is essential in fields like chemistry and medicine. Optical activity is a clear indicator of molecular asymmetry in a substance.