Definitions for "Racemic"
Pertaining to, or designating, an acid found in many kinds of grapes. It is also obtained from tartaric acid, with which it is isomeric, and from sugar, gum, etc., by oxidation. It is a sour white crystalline substance, consisting of a combination of dextrorotatory and levorotatory tartaric acids.
This term racemic describes a drug which has two components, labeled R and S isomers. In racemic albuterol/ salbutamol, it is thought that only one of these isomers is beneficial in the treatment of bronchoconstriction. The R isomer provides the bronchodilation while the S isomer lends the stimulative side-effects. Recent advances in technology have allowed the successful isolation of R isomers and, in the case of albuterol, led to the introduction of Xopenex.
racemic mixture. A mixture of equal parts of the levorotatory and dextrorotatory isomers of the the same substance. Racemic mixtures are not optically active.