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The
substances used as the starting point for these
syntheses are in general not chiral. The trick
is to make the product chiral. This is done using a
chiral catalyst molecule. Suppose we compare this
molecule with a left hand. A left hand will make a
better match in a handshake with another left hand
(one of the two emerging product forms) than with a
right hand (the other form of the product). Thus a
chiral catalyst can control production of the desired
chiral product.
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