Enantiomer Definition

molecular structure of example enantiomer

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by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
Updated March 06, 2017

An enantiomer is one of a pair of optical isomers.

Examples

The central carbon in serine is the chiral carbon. The amino group and hydrogen can rotate about the carbon, resulting in two enantiomers of serine, L-serine and D-serine.