The DNA inside our cells almost exclusively twists in one direction, but the reason for this might be out of this world!

The shape of molecules is super important to life as we know it. In this episode of Crash Course Organic Chemistry we’re learning about stereochemistry and how to identify molecules as chiral or achiral. And as always, we’ll be doing a...

Improve your understanding of molecular properties with this lesson on the fascinating property of chirality. Your hands are the secret to understanding the strange similarity between two molecules that look almost exactly alike, but are...

On October 1, 1957, thalidomide was introduced as a new morning sickness cure. Everything seemed great until later the next year, when thousands of infants were born with severe birth defects.

We just learned about hydrogenation of alkenes via homogeneous catalysis, and the complicated catalytic cycles that are involved. But there is an additional aspect that we need to discuss. Whenever possible, we want to be able to employ...

Biphenyls are compounds consisting of two benzene rings connected by a single bond. In certain biphenyls, bulky substituents on the ortho positions of the rings can prevent free rotation around the bond, locking the rings in different...

Chirality refers to molecules that have a non-superimposable mirror image due to an asymmetric carbon atom. These chiral compounds are vital in many biological systems, as their mirror images often have different effects

Optical isomerism occurs in molecules that are chiral, meaning they cannot be superimposed on their mirror images. These isomers, known as enantiomers, differ in their optical activity—they rotate plane-polarized light in opposite...

Amino acids, nature makes them, and humans have been making them as well since 1850. The first lab synthesis of amino acids was reported by Adolph Strecker, so it's called the Strecker amino acid synthesis, and despite being so ancient...

Learn the basics about the principles of green chemistry as a part of the environmental chemistry topic.

Oxymercuration/Demurcuration: Theory, Mechanism, and Examples

Defining meso compounds, inversion centers, and diastereomers.

Organic Chemistry Practice Exam 2

Looking at interesting molecules in virtual reality that possess no chiral centers.

Defining stereochemistry and enantiomeric relationships.

Animation of rotating Methamphetamine molecule