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If an object is chiral, itself and its mirror image and itself are non-superimposable and represent two distinct versionversions of the same object. A hand, for instance, can be either the right hand or the left hand. Or a helix, which can be winding clockwise or counter-clockwise. 

With molecules is the same. A molecule for which its mirror image is non-superimposable with itself is chiral, whether or not it hascontains any carbon. Whenever that is the case, the molecule and its mirror image form an enantiomeric pair and they are each other's enantiomer.

I have been playing with the principal axes of inertia as tools in attempts at superimposing two different molecules when I asked myself what would be the relationship between the axes of inertia of each molecule in an enantiomeric pair. I was thinking that the length of each vector might be the same since the relative distances of atoms and their angles are the same, but maybe the axes themselves are distinct since the spatial disposition changed, but nevertheless they have a certain relationship between one another?

So my question is: Is there a known relationship between the principal axes of inertia of molecules in an enantiomeric pair?

If an object is chiral, itself and its mirror image are non-superimposable and represent two distinct version of the same object. A hand, for instance, can be either the right hand or the left hand. Or a helix, which can be winding clockwise or counter-clockwise. With molecules is the same. A molecule for which its mirror image is non-superimposable with itself is chiral, whether or not it has carbon. Whenever that is the case, the molecule and its mirror image form an enantiomeric pair and they are each other's enantiomer.

I have been playing with the principal axes of inertia as tools in attempts at superimposing two different molecules when I asked myself what would be the relationship between the axes of inertia of each molecule in an enantiomeric pair. I was thinking that the length of each vector might be the same since the relative distances of atoms and their angles are the same, but maybe the axes themselves are distinct since the spatial disposition changed, but nevertheless they have a certain relationship between one another?

So my question is: Is there a known relationship between the principal axes of inertia of molecules in an enantiomeric pair?

If an object is chiral, its mirror image and itself are non-superimposable and represent two distinct versions of the same object. A hand, for instance, can be either the right hand or the left hand. Or a helix, which can be winding clockwise or counter-clockwise. 

With molecules is the same. A molecule for which its mirror image is non-superimposable with itself is chiral, whether or not it contains any carbon. Whenever that is the case, the molecule and its mirror image form an enantiomeric pair and they are each other's enantiomer.

I have been playing with the principal axes of inertia as tools in attempts at superimposing two different molecules when I asked myself what would be the relationship between the axes of inertia of each molecule in an enantiomeric pair. I was thinking that the length of each vector might be the same since the relative distances of atoms and their angles are the same, but maybe the axes themselves are distinct since the spatial disposition changed, but nevertheless they have a certain relationship between one another?

So my question is: Is there a known relationship between the principal axes of inertia of molecules in an enantiomeric pair?

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urquiza
urquiza
  • 731
  • 5
  • 12

Relationship between the principal axes of inertia of an enantiomeric pair

If an object is chiral, itself and its mirror image are non-superimposable and represent two distinct version of the same object. A hand, for instance, can be either the right hand or the left hand. Or a helix, which can be winding clockwise or counter-clockwise. With molecules is the same. A molecule for which its mirror image is non-superimposable with itself is chiral, whether or not it has carbon. Whenever that is the case, the molecule and its mirror image form an enantiomeric pair and they are each other's enantiomer.

I have been playing with the principal axes of inertia as tools in attempts at superimposing two different molecules when I asked myself what would be the relationship between the axes of inertia of each molecule in an enantiomeric pair. I was thinking that the length of each vector might be the same since the relative distances of atoms and their angles are the same, but maybe the axes themselves are distinct since the spatial disposition changed, but nevertheless they have a certain relationship between one another?

So my question is: Is there a known relationship between the principal axes of inertia of molecules in an enantiomeric pair?