What is racemic mixture?

A racemic mixture is a combination of equal amounts of two enantiomers, which are molecules that are mirror images of each other but cannot be superimposed. This results in a mixture that is optically inactive, as the optical activities of the two enantiomers cancel each other out. Racemic mixtures are common in pharmaceuticals, where one enantiomer may have the desired therapeutic effect while the other may be inactive or even harmful. The process of separating enantiomers from a racemic mixture is known as resolution.