chirality

/ (kaɪˈrælɪtɪ) /


noun
  1. the configuration or handedness (left or right) of an asymmetric, optically active chemical compound: Also called: dissymmetry

Origin of chirality

1
C19: from Greek kheir hand + -al 1 + -ity

Derived forms of chirality

  • chiral, adjective

Words Nearby chirality

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for chirality

chirality

[ kī-rălĭ-tē ]


  1. The characteristic of a structure (usually a molecule) that makes it impossible to superimpose it on its mirror image. Also called handedness See also helicity invariance optical isomer.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.