3.3.7 Optical isomerism

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Ebi

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  • Define optical isomer
    Occurs in pairs of a chiral molecule and its non-superimposable mirror image
  • What is an asymmetric carbon
    Has 4 different groups to a chiral carbon
  • Symmetric carbon
    Atoms bonded to 3 or less groups, carbon bonded to 2 groups that are the same
  • Define a chiral molecule
    Any molecule that contains a chiral centre
  • Enantiomers
    Molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images of each other they are optical isomers
  • Why can't optical isomers be E/Z
    They are bonded to 4 different group unlike E/Z isomers and they have the same structural formula
  • E/Z isomers are
    Symmetrical and superimposable they aren't mirror images
  • Relation of E/Z isomers and optical isomers
    Both stereoisomers, the same structural formula but different spatial arrangement of atoms
  • How to test if 2 molecules are enantiomers
    Shine plane polarised light and determine if they rotate in opposite directions causing them to be optically active
  • Another word for racemates
    Racemic
  • Define a racemic
    Mixture of equal amounts of 2 enantiomers, the opposite effects of each isomer cancl each other out, so plane polarised light won't rotate, optically inactive
  • Why are enantiomers known as optical isomers
    They rotate plane polarised light in different directions
  • What is plane polarised light
    The electromagnetic vibrations are in one plane only
  • How to produce plane polarised light
    Pass light through polarising filter
  • Normal light has
    Transverse waves vibrating in all planes
  • Plane polarised light has
    Transverse waves vibrating in one plane only, all the others have been filtered out
  • What is optical activity
    Substances ability to rotate plane polarised light, caused by a chiral carbon atom
  • Why will a reaction produce a racemic mixture
    Planar carbonyl group, planar bond attacks from each side with equal probability
  • How to distinguish separate samples of stereoisomers
    Shine plane polarised light on it, and determine if they rotate in opposite directions
  • Synthesis vs
    Nature