A chiral center, often found in organic molecules, is a carbon atom that is bonded to four different groups or atoms. This unique arrangement allows for two non-superimposable mirror images, known as enantiomers. These enantiomers can have different chemical properties and biological activities, making chiral centers important in fields like pharmaceuticals. Chirality is a key concept in stereochemistry, which studies the spatial arrangement of atoms in molecules. Molecules with chiral centers can exhibit optical activity, meaning they can rotate plane-polarized light in different directions. Understanding chiral centers is essential for designing drugs, as the effectiveness of a medication can depend on its specific enantiomer.