racemic
containing equal amounts of left- and right-handed enantiomers of a chiral molecule, resulting in a mixture that is optically inactive.
Adjective
This term is used exclusively within the specialized register of chemistry and pharmacology to describe a specific type of molecular symmetry. It refers to a 1:1 ratio of mirror-image molecules, which cancels out the ability of the substance to rotate polarized light. In a clinical or pharmaceutical context, the term is critical because different enantiomers in a racemic mixture can have vastly different biological effects, ranging from therapeutic to toxic.
Because it is a technical descriptor for a chemical state, it is almost always used as an attributive adjective modifying nouns like mixture, compound, or drug. It does not have a general-purpose or metaphorical application in standard English.