What properties do enantiomers have in common?

Enantiomers are a type of stereoisomer that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. One of the defining characteristics of enantiomers is that they have the same chemical properties when reacting with achiral substances; however, they exhibit opposite optical activity due to their spatial arrangement. This means that if one enantiomer rotates plane-polarized light to the right (dextrorotatory), the other enantiomer will rotate it to the left (levorotatory).

This unique property of enantiomers leads to identical reactivity in environments that do not exhibit chirality, meaning that under such conditions, they will behave in nearly identical ways when participating in chemical reactions. However, when these enantiomers interact with other chiral substances, their reactivities can differ markedly due to differing interactions with those environments.

Therefore, the option that states enantiomers have the same chemical properties but opposite optical activity accurately reflects this crucial aspect of their behavior. It highlights the significance of chirality in optical activity while recognizing their similarity in chemical reactions with achiral compounds.