Chirality
Introduction
Organic chemistry, also known as “carbon chemistry”, is chemistry involving organic — or “carbon-based” — molecules. All life on Earth can be considered an expression of complex carbon chemistry. However, since lots of non-living things are carbon-based as well, organic chemistry isn't merely limited to biochemistry. Organic chemistry also deals with polymers, petroleum products, and much more.
Rectus & Sinister Chirality
Rectus & sinister chirality are ways of describing the ordering of attachment of function groups to a given chiral center (a carbon with four different groups attached to it, no two of which can be the same). If the function groups are ordered higher-to-lower in priority, or roughly so, in a clockwise or deosil orientation, the carbon is said to have rectus chirality. If the function groups are ordered higher-to-lower in priority, or roughly so, in a counterclockwise orientation, then the carbon is said to have sinister chirality.
