A chemist shown the structure of a new molecule having a single chiral centre will understand that two enantiomers, being mirror images of one another, may exist. If the molecule exhibits activity a question arises whether that activity is mostly due to only one of the enantiomers and, if so, which one? If the racemate demonstrates strong therapeutic activity there may be pressure to file a patent application quickly to establish rights before competitors identify the same molecule independently or the information is made public.
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