In chemical reactions, left and right can make a big difference. A
"left-handed" molecule of a particular chemical composition could be an
effective drug, while its mirror-image "right-handed" counterpart could
be completely inactive.
That's because, in biology, "left" and "right"
molecular designs are crucial: Living organisms are made only from
left-handed amino acids. So telling the two apart is important—but
difficult.
Credit: http://www.bnl.gov