An
enantiomer (optical isomer) is one of two stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other that are non-superposable (not identical), much as one's left and right hands are the same except for opposite orientation.Organic compounds that contain a
chiral carbon usually have two non-superposable structures. These two structures are mirror images of each other and are, thus, commonly called
enantiomorphs (enantio = opposite; morph = form), hence this structural property is now commonly referred to as
enantiomerism.Enantiomers have, when present in a symmetric environment, identical chemical and physical properties except for their ability to rotate plane-polarized light (+/−) by equal amounts but in opposite directions (although the polarized light can be considered an asymmetric medium). A mixture of equal parts of an optically active isomer and its enantiomer is termed racemic and has zero net rotation of plane-polarized light because the positive rotation of each (+) form is exactly counteracted by the negative rotation of a (−) one.
