Chirality in sugars

By 2012-01-01T00:00:00

Chirality in sugars

Source: Declan Fleming

A simple, effective chiral molecule experiment

There are a number of classic contexts for teaching about optical activity. There can't be many chemistry classrooms around that haven't heard tell of the rise and fall (and rise) of thalidomide, but of course there are chiral molecules all around us which can also provide simple, effective demonstrations. A classic example is the enantiomers of carvone which give rise to the smells of spearmint and caraway. In sugars however, we find an even more familiar example whose optical properties can be revealed by the use of polarisers.

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