Chilarity Module 6

Question 1

What’s chiral carbon?

Answer 1

A carbon atom which has 4 different groups (note that this means that is groups and not atom) attached to it

Question 2

What’s an optical isomer?

Answer 2

When there’s a chiral carbon and you organise atoms in only other way be reflecting in a mirror, they can’t be superimposed

So draw them by having a dotted mirror line

Question 3

Optical isomers are optically active, what does this mean?

Answer 3

They rotate plane-polarised light, one optical isomers rotates it in a clockwise direction, the other rotates it the same amount, but in an anticlockwise direction

Question 4

Can a compound have more than one chiral centre?

Answer 4

Yes, so more chiral centres = more optical isomers

Question 5

How do you draw optical isomers if there is 2 chiral carbons next to each other?

Answer 5

Draw them bonded together, then draw top being mirrored, then the bottom being mirrored, then both being mirrored