Inchemistry, anenantiomer (/ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/[1]ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər), also known as anoptical isomer,[2]antipode,[3] oroptical antipode,[4] is one of a pair of molecular entities which are mirror images of each other and non-superimposable.
Enantiomer molecules are like right and left hands: one cannot be superposed onto the other without first being converted to its mirror image.[5] It is solely a relationship ofchirality and the permanent three-dimensional relationships among molecules or other chemical structures: no amount of re-orientation of a molecule as a whole orconformational change converts one chemical into its enantiomer. Chemical structures with chirality rotate plane-polarized light.[6] A mixture of equal amounts of each enantiomer, aracemic mixture or aracemate, does not rotate light.[7][8][9]
Stereoisomers include both enantiomers anddiastereomers. Diastereomers, like enantiomers, share the same molecular formula and are also non-superimposable onto each other; however, they are not mirror images of each other.[10]
There are three common naming conventions for specifying one of the two enantiomers (theabsolute configuration) of a given chiral molecule: the R/S system is based on the geometry of the molecule; the (+)- and (−)- system (also written using the obsolete equivalentsd- andl-) is based on itsoptical rotation properties; and theD/L system is based on the molecule's relationship to enantiomers ofglyceraldehyde.
The R/S system is based on the molecule's geometry with respect to a chiral center.[11] The R/S system is assigned to a molecule based on the priority rules assigned byCahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules, in which the group or atom with the largest atomic number is assigned the highest priority and the group or atom with the smallest atomic number is assigned the lowest priority.
The (+) or (−) symbol is used to specify a molecule'soptical rotation — the direction in which the polarization of light rotates as it passes through a solution containing the molecule.[12] When a molecule is denoted dextrorotatory, it rotates the plane of polarized light clockwise and can also be denoted as (+).[11] When it is denoted as levorotatory, it rotates the plane of polarized light counterclockwise and can also be denoted as (−).[11]
The Latin words forleft arelaevus andsinister, and the word forright isdexter (orrectus in the sense of correct or virtuous). The English wordright is acognate ofrectus. This is the origin of the D/L and R/S notations, and the employment of prefixeslevo- anddextro- incommon names.
The prefixar-, from the Latinrecto (right), is applied to the right-handed version;es-, from the Latinsinister (left), to the left-handed molecule. Example:ketamine,arketamine,esketamine.[13]
The asymmetric atom is called achirality center,[14][15] a type ofstereocenter. A chirality center is also called achiral center[16][17][18] or anasymmetric center.[19] Some sources use the termsstereocenter,stereogenic center,stereogenic atom orstereogen to refer exclusively to a chirality center,[16][18][20] while others use the terms more broadly to refer also to centers that result indiastereomers (stereoisomers that are not enantiomers).[15][21][22]
Compounds that contain exactly one (or any odd number) of asymmetric atoms are always chiral. However, compounds that contain an even number of asymmetric atoms sometimes lack chirality because they are arranged in mirror-symmetric pairs, and are known asmeso compounds. For instance,mesotartaric acid (shown on the right) has two asymmetric carbon atoms, but it does not exhibit enantiomerism because there is a mirror symmetry plane. Conversely, there exist forms of chirality that do not require asymmetric atoms, such asaxial,planar, andhelical chirality.[16]: pg. 3
Even though a chiral molecule lacks reflection (Cs) androtoreflection symmetries (S2n), it can have othermolecular symmetries, and its symmetry is described by one of the chiralpoint groups: Cn, Dn, T, O, or I. For example,hydrogen peroxide is chiral and has C2 (two-fold rotational) symmetry. A common chiral case is the point group C1, meaning no symmetries, which is the case for lactic acid.
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An example of such an enantiomer is thesedativethalidomide, which was sold in a number of countries around the world from 1957 until 1961. It was withdrawn from the market when it was found to cause birth defects. One enantiomer caused the desirable sedative effects, while the other, unavoidably[23] present in equal quantities, caused birth defects.[24]
Theherbicidemecoprop is a racemic mixture, with the (R)-(+)-enantiomer ("Mecoprop-P", "Duplosan KV") possessing the herbicidal activity.[25]
Another example is the antidepressant drugsescitalopram andcitalopram. Citalopram is aracemate [1:1 mixture of (S)-citalopram and (R)-citalopram]; escitalopram [(S)-citalopram] is a pure enantiomer. The dosages for escitalopram are typically 1/2 of those for citalopram. Here, (S)-citalopram is called achiral switch of Citalopram.
Enantiopure compounds consist of only one of the two enantiomers. Enantiopurity is of practical importance since such compositions have improved therapeutic efficacy.[26] The switch from a racemic drug to anenantiopure drug is called achiral switch. In many cases, the enantiomers have distinct effects. One case is that of Propoxyphene. The enantiomeric pair of propoxyphene is separately sold by Eli Lilly and company. One of the partners isdextropropoxyphene, ananalgesic agent (Darvon) and the other is calledlevopropoxyphene, an effectiveantitussive (Novrad).[27][28] It is interesting to note that the trade names of the drugs, DARVON and NOVRAD, also reflect the chemical mirror-image relationship. In other cases, there may be no clinical benefit to the patient. In some jurisdictions, single-enantiomer drugs are separately patentable from the racemic mixture.[29] It is possible that only one of the enantiomers is active. Or, it may be that both are active, in which case separating the mixture has no objective benefits, but extends the drug's patentability.[30]
In the absence of an effective enantiomeric environment (precursor, chiralcatalyst, orkinetic resolution), separation of a racemic mixture into its enantiomeric components is impossible, although certain racemic mixtures spontaneously crystallize in the form of aracemic conglomerate, in which crystals of the enantiomers are physically segregated and may be separated mechanically. However, most racemates form crystals containing both enantiomers in a 1:1 ratio.
In his pioneering work,Louis Pasteur was able to isolate the isomers ofsodium ammonium tartrate because the individual enantiomers crystallize separately from solution. To be sure, equal amounts of the enantiomorphic crystals are produced, but the two kinds of crystals can be separated with tweezers. This behavior is unusual. A less common method is byenantiomer self-disproportionation.
The second strategy is asymmetric synthesis: the use of various techniques to prepare the desired compound in highenantiomeric excess. Techniques encompassed include the use of chiral starting materials (chiral pool synthesis), the use ofchiral auxiliaries andchiral catalysts, and the application ofasymmetric induction. The use of enzymes (biocatalysis) may also produce the desired compound.
A third strategy isEnantioconvergent synthesis, the synthesis of one enantiomer from a racemic precursor, utilizing both enantiomers. By making use of a chiral catalyist, both enantiomers of the reactant result in a single enantiomer of product.[31]
Enantiomers may not be isolable if there is an accessible pathway for racemization (interconversion between enantiomorphs to yield a racemic mixture) at a given temperature and timescale. For example, amines with three distinct substituents are chiral, but with few exceptions (e.g. substitutedN-chloroaziridines), they rapidly undergo "umbrella inversion" at room temperature, leading to racemization. If the racemization is fast enough, the molecule can often be treated as an achiral, averaged structure.
For all intents and purposes, each enantiomer in a pair has the same energy. However, theoretical physics predicts that due toparity violation of theweak nuclear force (the only force in nature that can "tell left from right"), there is actually aminute difference in energy between enantiomers (on the order of 10−12 eV or 10−10 kJ/mol or less) due to theweak neutral current mechanism. This difference in energy is far smaller than energy changes caused by even small changes in molecular conformation, and far too small to measure by current technology, and is therefore chemically inconsequential.[17][32][33] In the sense used by particle physicists, the "true" enantiomer of a molecule, which has exactly the same mass-energy content as the original molecule, is a mirror-image that is alsobuilt from antimatter (antiprotons, antineutrons, and positrons).[17] Throughout this article, "enantiomer" is used only in the chemical sense of compounds of ordinary matter that are not superposable on their mirror image.
Quasi-enantiomers are molecular species that are not strictly enantiomers, but behave as if they are. Inquasi-enantiomers majority of the molecule is reflected; however, an atom or group within the molecule is changed to a similar atom or group.[34]Quasi-enantiomers can also be defined as molecules that have the potential to become enantiomers if an atom or group in the molecule is replaced.[35] An example ofquasi-enantiomers would (S)-bromobutane and (R)-iodobutane. Under normal conditions the enantiomers for (S)-bromobutane and (R)-iodobutane would (R)-bromobutane and (S)-iodobutane respectively.Quasi-enantiomers would also produce quasi-racemates, which are similar to normal racemates (seeRacemic mixture) in that they form an equal mixture ofquasi-enantiomers.[34]
Though not considered actual enantiomers, the naming convention forquasi-enantiomers also follows the same trend as enantiomers when looking at (R) and (S) configurations - which are considered from a geometrical basis (seeCahn–Ingold–Prelog priority rules).
Quasi-enantiomers have applications in parallelkinetic resolution.[36]
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