mirror-image relation
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A relation of exact opposition or reflection between two entities, such that one is the mirror image of the other. This term is often used in crystallography and chemistry to describe molecules or crystal structures that are non-superimposable reflections of each other, much like left and right hands.
Usage
This term is used to describe a specific, symmetrical relationship of opposition. It indicates that two things are identical in form but reversed in orientation, as if one were the reflection of the other in a mirror. - The two molecules are in a mirror-image relation; they are enantiomers. - Studying the mirror-image relation between the two crystal forms is essential for understanding their optical activity.
Examples
- In organic chemistry, a chiral carbon often creates two molecules that share a mirror-image relation.
- The artist explored the mirror-image relation between the two halves of the painting to create a sense of perfect symmetry.
Advanced Usage
- In a mirror-image relation to: Used to explicitly state what something is the reflection of.
- The left-handed configuration of the molecule stands in a mirror-image relation to the right-handed one.
Variants and Related Words
- Enantiomorphism (n): The property of existing in two mirror-image forms (enantiomorphs).
- Chirality (n): The geometric property of a rigid object (or spatial arrangement of points or atoms) that is not identical to its mirror image.
Synonyms
- Enantiomeric relation
- Reflection symmetry
- Opposite-handedness
Antonyms
- Identical configuration
- Superimposability
Noun
- the relation of opposition between crystals or molecules that are reflections of one another