In
chemistry, an
enantiomer ( ; ) is one of two
stereoisomers that are
mirror images of each other that are non-superposable (not identical), much as one's left and right
hands are the same except for being reversed along one axis (the hands cannot be made to appear identical simply by reorientation). Organic compounds that contain a
chiral carbon usually have two non-superposable structures. These two structures are mirror images of each other and are, thus, commonly called
enantiomorphs (
enantio = opposite ;
morph = form), hence this structural property is now commonly referred to as
enantiomerism.