>>13547098it's easier to tell the difference if you imagine rotating the one on the right so that the CH3 and COOH are in the same position on both. then you'll see that the positions of its OH and H are swapped compared to the one on the left. THAT is why they're different molecules. the net result of mirror flipping is to swap the positions of the H and OH, which can't be undone without breaking those bonds and swapping them back (ie, requires some kind of chemical reaction). you can see this if you open the molecule in a 3D model viewer like other anons are suggesting and rotate and compare like I said.
