The results are important because, while the left- and right-handed versions, or enantiomers, of chemical compounds have identical chemical properties, they differ in how they react in the human body. Developing cost-effective ways to synthesize only the version with a desired biological effect is critical to medicinal chemistry. The new method involves adding prenyl groups — molecules made of five carbon atoms — to enones by means of a newly developed catalyst in one step in the synthesis process. “For 20 years, we’ve known that nemorosonol is antimicrobial, but which enantiomer is responsible? “Our entantiomer of nemorosonol had pretty decent effects against cancer cell lines,” Romiti said.