What is meant by the term chiral?

Chirality is defined rather grandly as asymmetry such that an image and it's reflection are not superimposable. This means that if you reflect the object in a mirror it won't look exactly the same.

For example, a star is not chiral, because if you reflect it, you would be able to put the reflected image on top of the original. On the other hand, your hands are chiral - they are reflections of each other, but you can't put one on top of the other - think of it as trying to put a glove for your left hand on your right hand.

CM
Answered by Chris M. Chemistry tutor

4705 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

Does Mg or Al have the higher first ionisation energy? Explain your answer.


What is meant by the term optical isomerism?


When you are given a table of half cells with values for electrode potentials, how do you find the strongest oxidising and reducing agent?


State the H-O-H bond angle of a water molecule and explain why this is the case.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning