Compounds that are non-superimpossible
mirror images (mirror images that can not be
overlayed in any conformation) are called
enantiomers.
Compounds that have enantiomers are
called chiral molecules.
Why do we care?
Things that are chiral:
DNA
Proteins
Amino acids
thus biology in general
thus humans are chiral
Many complex organic molecules are chiral (like medicines)
Each enantiomer of a chiral molecule reactive differently with other chiral
molecules or chiral enviroments.
The most simple chiral molecules
One stereocenter
tetrahedral carbon (or other atom) with four different substituents: two
ways to arrange.