D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

optical activity

· IPA
01 n. the ability of a chemical compound to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light. This is found only in chemicals whose molecular structure…
  1. 1.
    the ability of a chemical compound to rotate the plane of plane-polarized light. This is found only in chemicals whose molecular structure does not have a plane of symmetry, and is common in biochemical compounds.(Chem.)