Scientists Say: Chiral

amino acids: Simple molecules that occur naturally in plant and animal tissues and that are the basic building blocks of proteins.

asteroid: A rocky object in orbit around the sun. Most asteroids orbit in a region that falls between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers refer to this region as the asteroid belt.

biology: The study of living things. The scientists who study them are known as biologists.

chemistry: The field of science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of substances and how they interact. Scientists use this knowledge to study unfamiliar substances, to reproduce large quantities of useful substances or to design and create new and useful substances. (about compounds) Chemistry also is used as a term to refer to the recipe of a compound, the way it’s produced or some of its properties. People who work in this field are known as chemists.

chirality: The quality of a pattern or form that can exist as a mirror image of itself, such as a right hand or a left hand. Chirality is sometimes referred to as “handedness.” For a spiral, chirality generally describes whether the swirl travels in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

fabric: Any flexible material that is woven, knitted or can be fused into a sheet by heat or compression and drying.

link: A connection between two people or things.

molecule: An electrically neutral group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in the air is made of two oxygen atoms (O₂), but water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O).

protein: A compound made from one or more long chains of amino acids. Proteins are an essential part of all living organisms. They form the basis of living cells, muscle and tissues; they also do the work inside of cells. Antibodies, hemoglobin and enzymes are all examples of proteins. Medicines frequently work by latching onto proteins.