chirality

thumb|Two enantiomers of a generic amino acid that is chiral

Chirality () is the property of an object not being identical to its mirror image. An object is chiral if it is not identical to its mirror image; that is, it cannot be superposed (not to be confused with superimposed) onto itself. Conversely, an object is achiral (sometimes also amphichiral) if its mirror image cannot be distinguished from the object (i.e. can be superposed onto its mirror image), such as a sphere. A chiral object and its mirror image are called enantiomorphs (Greek, "opposite forms") or, when referring to molecules, enantiomers. Chirality is a property of asymmetry important in several branches of science.