Akademik

l-
Levorotatory. Cf.:d-. [L. laevus, on the left-hand side]
Prefix indicating a chemical compound to be structurally (sterically) related to l-glyceraldehyde. Cf.:d-.

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l- prefix
1) .lē-(.)vō, .el, 'el levorotatory usu. printed in italic <l-tartaric acid>
2) .el, 'el having a similar configuration at a selected carbon atom to the configuration of levorotatory glyceraldehyde usu. printed as a small capital <L-fructose> <L-tryptophan>

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a chemical prefix (small capital L) that specifies the relative configuration of an enantiomer, the mirror image being specified as D-. Carbohydrates having the same configuration as L-glyceraldehyde at the asymmetric carbon atom most distant from the carbonyl functional group are designated as L (or Lg). Amino acids having the same configuration as L-serine at the α carbon are designated as L (or Ls). See D- for further explanation.

Medical dictionary. 2011.