Planar chirality is the special case of chirality for two dimensions.
This term is most frequently used in chemistry contexts, e.g., for a chiral molecule lacking an asymmetric carbon atom, but possessing two non-coplanar rings that are each dissymmetric and which cannot easily rotate about the chemical bond connecting them: 2,2'-dimethylbiphenyl is perhaps the simplest example of this case. Planar chirality is also exhibited by molecules like (E)-cyclooctene, some di-substituted ferrocenes, and certain monosubstituted paracyclophanes. Nature rarely provides planar chiral molecules; cavicularin being an exception.
Most fundamentally, planar chirality is a mathematical term, finding use in physics and related physical sciences, for example, in astronomy, optics and metamaterials. Recent occurrences in latter two fields are dominated by microwave applications and micro- and nanostructured planar interfaces for visible and infrared light.
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