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Differentiation of Enantiomers I pp 1–20Cite as

Molecular Chirality: Language, History, and Significance

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Part of the book series: Topics in Current Chemistry ((TOPCURRCHEM,volume 340))

Abstract

In this chapter some background material concerning molecular chirality and enantiomerism is presented. First some basic chemical-molecular aspects of chirality are reviewed, after which certain relevant terminology whose use in the literature has been problematic is discussed. Then an overview is provided of some of the early discoveries that laid the foundations of the science of molecular chirality in chemistry and biology, including the discovery of the phenomenon of molecular chirality by L. Pasteur, the proposals for the asymmetric carbon atom by J.H. van ‘t Hoff and J.A. Lebel, Pasteur’s discovery of biological enantioselectivity, the discovery of enantioselectivity at biological receptors by A. Piutti, the studies of enzymatic stereoselectivity by E. Fischer, and the work on enantioselectivity in pharmacology by A. Cushny. Finally, the role of molecular chirality in pharmacotherapy and new-drug development, arguably one of the main driving forces for the current intense interest in the phenomenon of molecular chirality, is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Helpful information from the following individuals (listed in alphabetical order) is gratefully acknowledged: Prof. Pedro Cintas (University of Extremadura, Spain); Prof. Mark M. Green (New York University, USA); Prof. Andrew J. Hutt (University of Hertfordshire, UK). The author is deeply indebted to the Piutti family, Dr. Claudia Piutti (Nerviano Medical Sciences, Nerviano, Italy), great-granddaughter of Arnaldo Piutti; Pietro Piutti (of Conegliano, Italy), grandson of Arnaldo Piutti; and Pietro’s spouse Caterina (née Rovetto) for providing Arnaldo’s photograph and permission to reproduce it. The author is grateful to John Wiley & Sons, Inc., for permission to use text from some of his previously published articles [9, 17, 20, 35, 41].

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  1. Departments of Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, USA

    Joseph Gal

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Correspondence to Joseph Gal .

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  1. Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Volker Schurig

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Gal, J. (2013). Molecular Chirality: Language, History, and Significance. In: Schurig, V. (eds) Differentiation of Enantiomers I. Topics in Current Chemistry, vol 340. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/128_2013_435

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