Isomerism

what are enantiomers

optical isomers that are non-superimposable mirror images about a chiral centre

what is meant by a chiral centre

a carbon atom in a molecule bonded to 4 different atoms or groups

how do enantiomers differ in their interaction with plant polarised light

they rotate plane-polarised light in opposite directions

1 rotates it clockwise

other anti-clockwise

what does it mean for a molecule to be optically active

has the ability to rotate the plane of polarised light due its chiral structure

what is meant by the term racemic mixture

equal mixture of 2 enantiomers of a chiral compound

why are racemic mixtures optically inactive

rotation caused by the 2 enantiomers cancel each other out

what is optical isomerism

type of stereoisomerism-where isomers have the same structural formula but different arrangement of atoms in space

how can optical isomers be distinguished

by their ability to rotate plane polarised light in opposite directions