Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Chemistry / Organic Chemistry / Difference Between Dextrorotatory and Levorotatory

Difference Between Dextrorotatory and Levorotatory

November 20, 2019 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between dextrorotatory and levorotatory is that dextrorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the right side, whereas levorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the left side.

Optical rotation refers to the rotation of the orientation of the plane (of light) when the light passes through a chemical compound. In this, the terms dextrorotation and levorotation explains the direction of this optical rotation. Thus, dextrorotation and levorotation are two types of optical rotations.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dextrorotatory 
3. What is Levorotatory
4. Side by Side Comparison – Dextrorotatory vs Levorotatory in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Dextrorotatory?

Dextrorotatory is a term that refers to chemical compounds that can rotate plane-polarized light to the right side.  Dextrorotatory is the opposite term of levorotatory, which refers to the rotation to the left side. Besides, we can describe a dextrorotatory rotation as a clockwise rotation as well because a clockwise rotation is a right-handed rotation. If a compound is able to do this rotation when plane-polarized light passes through it, we say that material is optically active.

Difference Between Dextrorotatory and Levorotatory

Figure 01: Rotation of Plane-Polarized Light

When naming dextrorotatory compounds, we need to use a prefix; the prefix can be either “(+)” or “d”. Moreover, there is another important term, “specific rotation” regarding these chemical compounds. Specific rotation describes the degree to which a compound is dextrorotatory or levorotatory. Here, dextrorotatory is known to have a positive specific rotation.

What is Levorotatory?

Levorotatory is a term that refers to chemical compounds that can rotate plane-polarized light to the left side. It is the opposite of the term dextrorotatory, which refers to the rotation to the left side. We can describe this rotation as an anti-clockwise rotation as well because an anti-clockwise rotation is a left-handed rotation. If a compound is able to do this rotation when plane-polarized light passes through it, we say that material is optically active.

Key Difference - Dextrorotatory vs Levorotatory

Figure 02: Levorotatory and Dextrorotatory Compounds

When naming levorotatory compounds, we need to use a prefix; the prefix can be either “(-)” or “l”. When considering the specific rotation for levorotatory compounds, they are known to have a negative specific rotation.

What is the Difference Between Dextrorotatory and Levorotatory?

The terms dextrorotatory and levorotatory are useful when describing the rotation of plane-polarized light by different chemical compounds. The key difference between dextrorotatory and levorotatory is that dextrorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the right side, whereas levorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the left side. Thus, the process of this rotation of light is named as dextrorotation and levorotation. Further, we can refer to the rotation of plane-polarized light in the clockwise direction as dextrorotary and anti-clockwise rotation is levorotatory.

When naming these compounds, we need to use prefixes. For dextrorotary compounds, there are two prefixes that we can use: either “(+)” or “d”. Similarly, for levorotatory compounds, the prefixes we can use are “(-)” or “l”. Furthermore, there is another important term, “specific rotation” regarding these chemical compounds. The specific rotation for dextrorotary compounds is said to be positive while for levorotatory compounds, it is negative.

Below infographic tabulates the difference between dextrorotatory and levorotatory.

Difference Between Dextrorotatory and Levorotatory in Tabular Form

Summary – Dextrorotatory vs Levorotatory

The terms dextrorotatory and levorotatory are useful when describing the rotation of plane-polarized light by different chemical compounds. The key difference between dextrorotatory and levorotatory is that dextrorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the right side, whereas levorotatory refers to the rotation of plane-polarized light to the left side. The process of this rotation of light is named as dextrorotation and levorotation.

Reference:

1. “Dextrorotation and Levorotation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Aug. 2019, Available here.
2. “Levorotatory Compounds.” Van Nostrands Encyclopedia of Chemistry, 2005, doi:10.1002/0471740039.vec1518.
3. “Levorotatory Quartz.” Dictionary Geotechnical Engineering/Wörterbuch GeoTechnik, 2014, pp. 796–796., doi:10.1007/978-3-642-41714-6_121185.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Levo dextro” By File:Levo dextro.png: Deneapol (talk)Original uploader was Deneapol.derivative work: KES47 – File:Levo dextro.png (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Racemorphan” By Harbin (talk · contribs), edited by Fvasconcellos (talk · contribs) – File:Dextrorphan.svg by Harbin (talk · contribs) (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Key Difference - Acyl vs AlkylDifference Between Acyl and Alkyl Difference Between Borazine and BenzeneDifference Between Borazine and Benzene Difference Between Transamination and DeaminationDifference Between Transamination and Deamination Difference Between Heptane and HexaneDifference Between Heptane and Hexane Difference Between Cis and Trans CyclohexaneDifference Between Cis and Trans Cyclohexane

Filed Under: Organic Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Signs and Symptoms

What is the Difference Between Molecular Geometry and Electron Geometry

What is the Difference Between Molecular Geometry and Electron Geometry

Difference Between Clone and Asexual Reproduction

Difference Between Clone and Asexual Reproduction

Difference Between Dimerization and Polymerization

Difference Between Dimerization and Polymerization

What is the Difference Between Leukemia and Leukopenia

What is the Difference Between Leukemia and Leukopenia

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Declarative and Procedural Memory
  • What is the Difference Between Pancytopenia and Thrombocytopenia
  • What is the Difference Between Sandwich Elisa and Competitive Elisa
  • What is the Difference Between Mayor and Governor
  • What is the Difference Between ABI and TBI
  • What is the Difference Between Primary and Secondary Addison’s Disease
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.