What does the L mean in "L(+)ascorbic acid", and what does the plus sign mean?

Question

Is L(+)ascorbic acid the same as L-Ascorbic acid?

Answer 1

The L means that in the second carbon from the bottom, the order is HO-C-H. The (+) means that the compound rotates the plane of polarized light to the right as opposed to the left, which would be denoted (-).

L-(+)-ascorbic acid is sui generis. The other would be D-(-)-ascorbic acid.