Stereochemistry

What is a chiral MOLECULE?

Does NOT have a plane of symmetry and is NOT superimposable

What is a chiral carbon?

Contains 4 DIFFERENT substituents and has a tetrahedral shape

What is an achiral carbon?

Two or more substituents are the same

What are ENANTIOMERS?

-MIRROR images that are NOT super imposable

-Only separable via RESOLUTION

-plane polarized light is rotated in OPPOSITE direction with EQUAL magnitude

What does it mean when a molecule is optically ACTIVE?

-the molecule can ROTATE plane polarized light (such as enantiomers)

-CHIRAL molecules

What are diastereomers?

-NON mirror images

-CAN be separated by physical means

What are MESO compounds?

-ACHIRAL compounds

-HAVE plane of symmetry

-Has chiral CARBONS

What are racemic mixtures?

-Equal amount of d and l enantiomers

-NO optical activity