: of or relating to a molecule that is not superimposable on its mirror image
Examples of chiral in a Sentence
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When objects appear different in the mirror, scientists call them chiral.
—
Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 14 May 2025
Like how your left glove fits only your left hand and your right glove your right hand, chiral molecules can interact only with other molecules of compatible handedness.
—Kate Adamala, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
In the new study, the researchers coupled chiral liquid crystals with fluorescent dyes that emitted red, green, or blue light.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Nov. 2023
Electrons with one spin orientation will move more efficiently across a chiral molecule in one direction than the other.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for chiral
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Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 14 May 2025
Like how your left glove fits only your left hand and your right glove your right hand, chiral molecules can interact only with other molecules of compatible handedness.
—Kate Adamala, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2025
In the new study, the researchers coupled chiral liquid crystals with fluorescent dyes that emitted red, green, or blue light.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Nov. 2023
Electrons with one spin orientation will move more efficiently across a chiral molecule in one direction than the other.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for chiral
Cite this Entry
“Chiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chiral. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
chiral
adjective
chi·ral
ˈkī-rəl 
1
a
of a molecule
: having a structure that is nonsuperimposable on its mirror image
chiral molecules
b
: relating to or composed of chiral molecules
In discussions of chiral drugs, thalidomide is sometimes cited as a prime example of a drug that differs strikingly in the properties of its two enantiomers.—Stephen C. Stinson, Chemical & Engineering News
Stephen C. Stinson, Chemical & Engineering News2
: of, relating to, or being a chiral center
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