A racemic mixture is represented in chemical nomenclature by using the prefix “rac-” or “dl-.” For example, a racemic mixture of a compound may be denoted as “racemate” or “dl-compound.” This signifies that the mixture contains equal amounts of both enantiomers, the mirror-image isomers, and is optically inactive overall. In a racemic mixture, the individual optical activities of the enantiomers cancel each other out, resulting in no net rotation of plane-polarized light. Understanding and controlling racemic mixtures is crucial in pharmaceuticals to ensure predictable and consistent effects, as individual enantiomers may exhibit different biological activities.