Optical Isomerism Flashcards
What is Optical Isomerism?
A form of stereoisomerism that occurs as a result of chirality in molecules, limited to molecules with a single chiral centre. Isomers have the same molecular formula and bond arrangement, but differ in the arrangement of their atoms in space.
What is an enantiomer?
Has a chiral asymmetric carbon atom. They exist as non-superimposable mirror images and differ in their effect on plane polarised light.
How do enantiomers differ in polarised light?
Enantiomers interact differently with plane-polarized light, due to their different arrangements of atoms in space. One enantiomer will rotate plane-polarized light in one direction, while the other enantiomer will rotate it in the opposite direction.
What is a racemic mixture (racemate)?
A mixture of equal amounts of enantiomers.
Structural Formula of Enantiomers
The displayed formula- use this to find chiral carbon.
Displayed formula of Enantiomers.
The two mirror images of the enantiomers.
How are racemic mixtures formed and why are they optically active?
A racemic mixture is a 50:50 mixture of both the (+) enantiomer and the (-) enantiomer of an optical active substance. This means there is an equal chance of forming each enantiomer in a chemical reaction. A racemic mixture is not optically active because the effects of the (+) and (-) isomers cancel each other out.
Why are enantiomers used in drug development?
Helps design drugs that are more effective and have fewer side effects. It allows scientists to design drugs with specific properties and potencies.
Hoe are optical isomers separated and characterised?
Chromatography, Spectroscopy
