Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Racemize (racemization):
To convert a substance into a
racemic mixture
.
+
in vivo
racemization
+
Pure (
R
)-
thalidomide
racemizes
in vivo
(in this example, via a white rat) to become a
racemic mixture
composed of equal parts (
R
)-
thalidomide
and (
S
)-
thalidomide
.
Related terms:
Optically active
,
optical activity
,
dextrorotatory
,
d
,
(+)
,
levorotatory
,
l
,
(-)
,
L
,
chiral
,
achiral
,
enantiomer
,
diastereomer
,
meso compound
,
stereocenter
,
stereoisomer
,
configurational isomer
,
chiral center
,
mutarotation
,
racemic acid
Wikipedia entry
Return to glossary index