A Chemistry That Learned to Choose

Two hands have the same fingers, the same bones, and essentially the same structure. Yet the left hand cannot simply be placed over the right and fit perfectly. One is the mirror image of the other. Some molecules have exactly the same characteristic. They contain the same atoms and the same bonds, but can exist in two different three-dimensional configurations. In chemistry, this property is known as chirality, a word derived from the Greek term for hand.

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