BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -A chiral center of an atom is the atom in a molecule that is bonded to four different chemical species. Remember that a chemical species is an atom/molecule with a specific molecular structure.

Detailed explanation-2: -Such an atom is called a chiral atom. It is also known as asymmetric center or chirality center.

Detailed explanation-3: -How to identify chiral carbon centers? The rule of thumb is: chiral carbon centers are carbon atoms that are attached to four different substituents, that are placed at the corners of a tetrahedron.

Detailed explanation-4: -Any tetrahedral carbon atom that has four different substituents is a chiral center (it was worth repeating). This is a simple consequence of geometry; there are two different ways to place four different substituents in a tetrahedral arrangement.

Detailed explanation-5: -A chiral carbon has four different groups attached to it.