# How to interpret the rate constants of in-vivo racemization of thalidomide?

The article by Eriksson et. al. found that thalidomide undergoes chiral inversion in vivo. It found the mean rate constants too, $0.17~\mathrm{h^{-1}}$ (R to S) and $0.12~\mathrm{h^{-1}}$ (S to R).

I have no idea what those numbers mean. Does that mean 17% of the R-thalidomide becomes S-thalidomide every hour?

• Woo. It does look better. I noticed you italized R and S. Was it with asterisks?. Had you used $R$ instead, would it become bold and italic? – Kurzd Oct 26 '15 at 4:09
• The \$ signs invoke mathematical mode, where you can typeset formulae with special commands. A short description is given in the second link above. It takes some time to learn but it can be incredibly helpful. The * belong to the markdown set that is used on the site. Visit this page to learn more. This one is much easier to learn. If you have any questions that are not part of the help center, then visit Chemistry Meta. – Martin - マーチン Oct 26 '15 at 4:25