what is chiral carbon

A chiral carbon is a carbon atom that is bonded to four different types of atoms or groups of atoms. The four atoms and/or groups attached to the carbon atom can be arranged in space in two different ways that are mirror images of each other, and which lead to so-called left-handed and right-handed versions (stereoisomers) of the same molecule. Molecules that cannot be superimposed on their own mirror image are said to be chiral; as the asymmetric carbon is the center of this chirality, it is also known as a chiral carbon. The rule of thumb to identify chiral carbon centers is that they are carbon atoms that are attached to four different substituents, that are placed at the corners of a tetrahedron. Chiral carbon atoms are also referred to as ‘stereogenic carbons’ or ‘asymmetrical carbon atoms’.