Optically active site Physical properties

If only one carbon atom of the type shown in Figure 1 existed in the polymer, the effect on polymer properties would be negligable and it would be hard to distinguish this polymer from one in which there were no optically active sites. Such a polymer would be one in which, for example, all carbon atoms other than the one shown in Figure 1 have X = Y. However, the common way that optically active sites show up in polymers is to have at least one site per mer. This means that most polymer molecules with optical activity contain at least 100 optically active sites and the presence of an bonded atom that is distinct fiom its mirror image will have pronounced effects on the optical, chemical, and physical properties of the polymer. 

Significantly, spectroscopic, optical rotatory, and magnetic properties of metalloenzymes (1) suggest that characteristics of their metal atoms are also aflFected uniquely by the protein environment at active enzymic sites. Moreover, while the physical properties of metalloenzymes are quite unusual when compared with those of simple metal complexes, substrates or inhibitors may simplify their absorption and rotatory dispersion spectra to resemble more nearly those of well defined model systems (4). Taken together, such observations have emphasized the singular nature of metals and their coordination in metalloenzymes, perhaps reflecting features of their participation in catalysis. 

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