Enantiomers

Below are D and L-alanine in their Zwitterionic forms.  They are related to one another as enantiomers (i.e. non-superimposable mirror images). Enantiomers is derived from the greek word "enantio" which means opposite.

Action

Click the "Synchronize" checkbox to see the D and L mirror images rotate relatively in a mirror.  Can you determine which is R and which is S?  Which one is common in organisms?

Synchronize

M
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R
R
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R

D-Alanine   L-Alanine

Enantiomers have the exact same physical and chemical properties.  For example L-alanine and D-alanine both have the same solubility in water, melting point, heat of formation, pKa etc.  You could not separate them with standard chromatography techniques.  Enantiomers only behave different in a chiral environment (i.e pocket of an enzyme, bound to a chiral catalyst, or on surface of chiral chromatography material).