Chiral Derivatives of Achiral Molecules: Standard Classes and the Problem of a Right‐Left Classification

Chemistry judging by its applications, physics according to its methods, and heavily reliant upon the tools of mathematics—that is what makes theoretical chemistry. And yet that is where its strength lies—in the variety of these sciences. It is quite natural that, in answer to specific problems, results and methods can sometimes be developed whose scope extends far beyond the original application. Rather it is a mark of quality if consequences can be found in chemistry and physics and the pathway leads via new mathematical procedures and concepts. Regrettably, any publication aiming to present such aspects will usually encounter little resonance since the linguistic confusion in science, its disciplines, and subdisciplines, lies like a veil over our understanding. The author nevertheless wishes to attempt to present, in a series of articles, results of research into chemical themes in a manner designed to appeal to the interest of chemists, without neglecting interdisciplinary aspects. All that is required to understand the argumentation is a lively interest. The first two articles are concerned with the chirality of molecules, and in particular with questions relating to the chirality phenomenon of molecules in the framework of molecular classes. In view of the algebraic nature of the mathematical methods adopted, it is not surprising that precise statements result. It appears of primary interest to establish the degree to which such statements can be considered valid for molecular models or molecules themselves.