Science Buddies: Study Chirality With a Homemade Polarimeter

Some molecules can be either left- or right-"handed." The left- and right-handed molecules have the same number and type of atoms, and their chemical structures look identical, but they are actually mirror images of each other. Many naturally occurring molecules have this property, called chirality. Chiral molecules can interact with polarized light in an interesting way-they rotate the plane of polarization. This chemistry science fair project describes how to make a homemade polarimeter that will allow you to investigate the ability of glucose, a chiral molecule, to rotate the plane of polarized light.