What are molecules that have identical physical properties except regarding polarized light called?

Molecules that possess identical physical properties except in their interaction with polarized light are specifically known as enantiomers. Enantiomers are a type of stereoisomer that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other, much like one's left and right hands. This unique relationship arises from the presence of a chiral center, a carbon atom bonded to four different substituents.

The distinguishing characteristic of enantiomers is their ability to rotate plane-polarized light in opposite directions—one will rotate light to the right (dextrorotatory), while the other will rotate light to the left (levorotatory). Despite many similar physical and chemical properties, the differences in light rotation highlight their stereochemical distinction.

This definition helps in understanding why other choices do not correctly fit the description. Isomers, for instance, can have various forms, both structural and stereoisomeric, without the requirement of differing light polarization effects. Diastereomers are also stereoisomers, but unlike enantiomers, they are not mirror images and may have different physical properties. Conformers refer to different spatial arrangements of the same molecule due to rotation around single bonds, and they may or may not exhibit differences in optical activity. Thus, the option