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Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: AdiDex on October 16, 2014, 03:01:14 PM

Title: what is the difference between chiral and enantiomer..?
Post by: AdiDex on October 16, 2014, 03:01:14 PM

I'm little confused between the chiral and enantiomer..!
Are they same or just different side of one coin..!
Please explain with suitable examples..!!
Thanks...  :)

Title: Re: what is the difference between chiral and enantiomer..?
Post by: mjc123 on October 17, 2014, 04:59:04 AM

Try reading this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality
If I don't just tell you the answer, it's not that I don't want to help, but I want to help you to be able to find out things like this for yourself. It's always worth doing a quick google, you never know what you'll find.
If there's anything specific you still don't get after reading the above, by all means come back and ask.

Title: Re: what is the difference between chiral and enantiomer..?
Post by: AdiDex on October 18, 2014, 03:53:36 PM

What I understood is that -
Chiral and enantiomer are just the similar word...

If a molecule is chiral then it must have a enantiomer ..!!
Enantiomer is only used for molecules where as chiral word can be used anywhere .
For example our hand is chiral but it do not have enantiomer (as enantiomer only used in chemistry )

Please correct me if i'm wrong.

Title: Re: what is the difference between chiral and enantiomer..?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on October 18, 2014, 05:30:31 PM

Chiral is an adjective, meaning having handedness.  Enantiomer is a noun.