chirality

In chemistry, property of a molecule that indicates that it cannot be superimposed on its mirror image. Chiral molecules have the same type, number, and ratio of atoms, but differ in the orientation of these atoms within the molecular structure. The term implies ‘handedness’; the relationship of the molecule with its mirror image is that between a right and left hand. The two forms of a chiral compound may have different chemical properties, so it is important to be able to distinguish between them.