Final answer:
Different interactions of enantiomers with other chiral molecules can be expected due to their nonsuperimposable mirror image structures that affect binding with chiral biological targets, creating variations in biological activity, sensory perception, and microbial recognition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The interactions you would expect to be different for the two enantiomers of 2‑pentanol involve their behavior with other chiral substances. While enantiomers have identical physical and chemical properties in an achiral environment, their interactions with chiral molecules, such as biological macromolecules, are distinct. This is due to their nonsuperimposable mirror images. A well-known example of this is the pharmaceutical industry, where one enantiomer of a drug might be therapeutically active, and the other may be less active or have unwanted side effects. The difference in activity arises because their three-dimensional arrangement affects how they bind to chiral targets, like enzymes or receptors, which themselves are also chiral.
Chirality also plays a crucial role in sensory processes; for example, enantiomers of a chiral molecule can have different smells due to the way they interact with the chiral olfactory receptors in our noses. Finally, recognition by certain microorganisms, as noted by the specificity shown by species such as Rhizopus, Yarrowia, and Lactobacillus spp., which metabolize only one type of optical isomer, is another instance wherein enantiomers will show different interactions.