Why do enantiomers rotate light?

They are limited to rotating plane polarized light, which shares some characteristics with chirality.

After passing through a polarising filter, light takes on the appearance of a wave form made up of electrical components that oscillate as two vectors—one rotating from left to right and the other from right to left—that are basically helixes.

Since helices cannot be superimposed, the light is composed of what appear to be two enantiomeric vectors (which, when resolved, oscillate in the same plane).

Resolving the vectors shows that the light rotates either left or right after passing through the chiral center, indicating that when plane polarized light interacts with chiral centers, one of the two helixes will slow down more than the other and go out of synchronization.

Enantiomers rotate light because they have a chiral center, meaning they lack a plane of symmetry and exist as non-superimposable mirror images of each other. When polarized light passes through a solution of enantiomers, the molecules interact differently with the light waves, causing a rotation in the plane of polarization. This phenomenon, known as optical activity, occurs because enantiomers have different three-dimensional arrangements of atoms, leading to differences in their interactions with light.

Enantiomers rotate polarized light because of their different three-dimensional arrangements of atoms, leading to their distinct interaction with polarized light waves. This phenomenon is known as optical activity and is a result of the asymmetry of chiral molecules. Each enantiomer interacts with light differently due to the way its asymmetric carbon atoms affect the polarization plane of light passing through it.