Final answer:
Enantiomers are isomers with identical molecular formulas and mirror-image structures that are non-superimposable. They are one type of isomer, important in many fields especially pharmaceuticals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The organic molecules with identical molecular formulas and mirror-image structures are referred to as enantiomers. Enantiomers are a type of isomer, which is essentially a category of compounds that have the same molecular formula but are arranged differently in space. These isomers result in different physical and chemical properties. For a molecule to be considered an enantiomer, it must have a chiral center with four different atoms or groups attached to it, making the two isomers non-superimposable mirror images of each other. This property is crucial in fields such as pharmaceuticals where the different enantiomers of a compound can have vastly different biological activities.
An example illustrating this concept could be the amino acid alanine, which has two enantiomers: D-alanine and L-alanine. They are mirror images of each other and cannot be superimposed, just like a person’s left and right hands – a common analogy used to explain chirality.