Polarized Light and Optical Rotation

Schematic Diagrams of Plane-and Circularly Polarized Light 

A chiral center is bonded to four different groups, and each of these bonds has an electric field. Therefore, the net electric field around a chiral center is chiral, and it absorbs one phase of circularly polarized light more than the other. As a result, the vectors no longer cancel, and the hght is rotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 

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Figure 19-1 Schematic representation of the electrical component of plane-polarized light and optical rotation. The beam is assumed to travel from X toward Y.

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