What is the relationship between L-alanine and D-alanine?

Answer 1

These are two isomers and their structures are just like mirror image of each other.

The L-isomer is one of the 20 essential amino acids coded in the human body and the D-isomer is uncommon and found usually in bacterial cell walls. The difference in the naming of the two structures is because of the position of the amino group bonded to the chiral carbon, which happens to cause an small, yet important difference in function and thus the evolutionary practice we see today.

Answer 2

L-alanine and D-alanine are mirror images of each other, known as enantiomers. They have the same chemical formula but differ in their spatial arrangement. They are non-superimposable, meaning they cannot be rotated and overlaid onto each other.