It might be weird to think about molecules as expressing “handedness.” After all, molecules don’t have hands. But there is a class of organic molecules known as chiral molecules that can be thought of as being either left-handed or right-handed, similar to the way we favor one appendage over the other.
![](https://i0.wp.com/dev.greenbankobservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/mother_nature_news_chiral_2016.png?resize=379%2C256)
Basically, chiral molecules with different handedness will share the same chemical structure, but with different geometries. They’re essentially arranged as mirrors of one another, in such a way that they’re non-superposable. So it’s impossible to flip one to make it match the other.
“When you shake somebody’s hand, your right hand shakes another right hand, and it forms that nice, interlocking gesture; if you try to shake a left hand with your right hand it’s a little awkward because the interaction is different,” explained Brett McGuire, a researcher at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Virginia. “Chiral molecules work the same way.”
Published by Mother Nature Network. See more at: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/twisty-molecules-handedness-are-essential-life-found-deep-space
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