enantiomer

[ ih-nan-tee-uh-mer ]

/ ɪˈnæn ti ə mər /

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noun Chemistry.

either of a pair of optical isomers that are mirror images of each other.

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Compare diastereomer.

Origin of enantiomer

enantio- + -mer

Words nearby enantiomer

enamor, enamored, enamour, enamoured, enantio-, enantiomer, enantiomorph, enantiomorphism, enantiosis, enantiotropy, enargite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for enantiomer

enantiomer

/ (ɛnˈæntɪəmə) /

noun

chem a molecule that exhibits stereoisomerism because of the presence of one or more chiral centres

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 enantiomer

enantiomer

[ ĭ-năn′tē-ə-mər ]

Either of two stereoisomers that are mirror images of one another but cannot be superimposed on one another and that rotate the plane of polarized light in opposite directions. Enantiomers usually behave the same chemically but differ in optical behavior and sometimes in how quickly they react with other enantiomers. Also called optical isomer enantiomorph Compare geometric isomer.