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What is chirality and how did it get in my molecules? - Michael Evans

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TEDEd Animation

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Improve your understanding of molecular properties with this lesson on the fascinating property of chirality. Your hands are the secret to understanding the strange similarity between two molecules that look almost exactly alike, but are not perfect mirror images.

Try finding some objects around your home or office and holding them up to a mirror. Are these objects chiral? How can you tell? How might we be able to determine if a molecule is chiral, especially when holding it up to a mirror is inconvenient?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Michael Evans
  • Animator Qa'ed Tung, Safwat Saleem
  • Narrator Michael Evans

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