enantiomer

noun/ɪˈnæntiəmər/

Frequency rank: #19,812 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

One of two molecules that are mirror images of each other but cannot be superimposed, like left and right hands.

Illustration for the English word “enantiomer”

Example sentence

The pharmacologist explained that one enantiomer of the drug was therapeutic while its mirror image was toxic.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 19,801–19,900