Asymmetric carbon
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An asymmetric carbon is a carbon atom that is attached to four different atoms or four different groups of atoms. The duality that this produces allows for different structural compositions of carbon based molecules (e.g. sugars). By taking the number of asymmetric carbon atoms, one can calculate the possible number of enantiomers for that molecule.
Maximum number of isomers = 2n where n = the number of asymmetric carbons.
The four groups can be arranged in space about the asymmetric carbon in two different ways that are mirror images. Which lead to left-handed and right-handed versions of the molecule.
Example : 
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