Plane-polarized light

Definition

Plane-polarized light is light that vibrates in a single plane due to the process of polarization. This type of light is used in stereochemistry to differentiate between optical isomers by observing their interaction with polarized light.

Related terms

Optical Activity:

The ability of a substance to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light, which is characteristic of chiral molecules.

Chirality:

A property of a molecule having non-superimposable mirror images, often leading to different interactions with plane-polarized light.

Enantiomers:

Pairs of molecules that are mirror images of each other and differ in their direction of rotation for plane-polarized light