Le Barbu-Debus

Asymmetric structures are a common occurrence across the chemical world, being present in small molecules up to large biological systems. (1,2) In the context of chemistry, asymmetry is part of the broader context of chirality, defined as the inability of a structure to be superimposed on its mirror image. (3) For small molecules, this quality results in the presence of enantiomers or diastereomers, depending on a change in rotation in one or more chiral centers, respectively.